Terrorism alert: Government to tighten security nationwide
The Government has decided to tighten security at all levels following the red alert issued by the United Kingdom (UK) about a possible terrorist attack on Ghana.
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According to the UK government alert posted on its website on Thursday, September 26, 2013, “there is an underlying threat from terrorism targeted at her citizens travelling to Ghana”.
But the Minister of Defence, Mr Mark Woyongo, told the Daily Graphic in a telephone interview that the government would treat the red alert with all the seriousness it deserved.
“This means that we have to tighten security at all levels and at all places, especially the markets and shopping malls,” he said.
Certainly, he said, the security agencies would discuss and come up with strategies to contain any possible situation.
Mr Woyongo said the best strategy would be the co-operation among all Ghanaians and their readiness to report any suspicious movements and characters to the security agencies immediately and timeously.
Quoting the popular phrase, “To be forewarned is to be forearmed”, the defence minister underscored the need for all residents to be conscious of security.
“We should be conscious to make our country safe. We should not leave anything to chance,” he said.
Ghana in peacekeeping
The UK government alert had suggested that “there is a possibility of retaliatory attacks in Ghana due to its participation in the intervention in Mali”.
Ghana this year sent about 120 soldiers to join troops from other African countries and France to fight Islamist militants in Mali.
The warning comes on the heels of a recent terrorist attack by Islamist group al-Shabab at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, last week Saturday, in which at least 67 people, including a former chairman of the Council of State of Ghana, Professor Kofi Awoonor, were killed.
President John Dramani Mahama rallied fellow world leaders at the UN General Assembly last Thursday against terrorism because the world could not succumb to terrorists.
UK alert
The UK government, in its regular alert notices to its citizens across the world, warned of an impending terrorist attack on Ghana due to the country’s involvement in international peace-keeping operations.
It said the "attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by expatriates and foreign travellers.”
The statement also advised the about 70,000 British nationals who visit Ghana every year that although most visits are trouble-free, violent crime could occur at any time.
By Kofi Yeboah/Daily Graphic/Ghana
