Report suspicious characters to law enforcement agencies - Ya-Na urges
The Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari II, has urged the public to report suspicious characters and activities within their communities that might threaten their peace and security to law enforcement agencies for swift investigations.
Given the growing phenomenon of violent extremism in the neighbouring countries, he said it was imperative to prevent a spillover and safeguard the peace and stability of the country.
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He, however, lauded the government for stepping up a nationwide campaign to prevent possible activities of violent extremist groups in the country. The Ya-Na made the call when officials of the Ministry of National Security paid a courtesy call on him to solicit his support for the "See Something, Say Something" campaign.
As part of the visit, the team extended the campaign to various senior high schools in the Yendi and Savelugu municipalities and the Zabzugu, Tatale and Mion districts in the Northern Region.
The exercise seeks to sensitise the students to the activities of violent extremists, to enable them to report potential security threats promptly.
Collective responsibility
The Overlord noted that the support of the public to the state security with information on happenings in their localities, where the terrorists were likely to hide and commit their outrageous crimes, was essential and also made it easy for the state security agencies to identify and subsequently arrest such criminals with ease.
The Campaign Lead for the “See Something, Say Something”, Akosua Danquah Ntim-Sekyere, said the terrorism threat in the sub-region had evolved to a point where reliance on only conventional strategies to combat it was ineffective.
She, therefore, encouraged all to be vigilant and proactive in reporting suspicious behaviours and activities around them to the right authorities. “If these suspicious people and activities come into the country, they will live within our communities and households, so if we are on the lookout and report early enough to the authorities, it will go a long way to nip them in the bud while maintaining peace and stability in our various communities,” she noted.
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