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Don’t use small arms to settle political scores — Applerh

Mr Jones Borteye ApplerhThe National Commission of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)  has expressed concern about the seemingly lawlessness in the Ashanti Region, where small arms have been used to settle political scores.

It said the way a section of Ghanaians, with the least provocation, resorted to the use of arms and weapons to prosecute their political agenda was worrying.

In an interview, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr Jones Borteye Applerh, explained that it was worrying for people to  resort to the use of small arms to cause atrocities as well as prosecute their political agenda.

He, therefore, called on Ghanaians to desist from using small arms to foment trouble since nobody stood to gain, if Ghana broke down as a result of a full scale armed conflict.

Mr Applerh said as a country’ ‘we may have our points of disagreement and conflicts and the best way of resolving the difference is the courts and not to resort to small arms as a means of settling political differences.’

He said the experiences of  Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia ought to serve as a cue for  Ghana to preserve the country as a beacon of hope and as an oasis of peace within a very turbulent  region.

He, therefore, added his voice to calls by well-meaning Ghanaians urging all political parties not to arm their supporters but accept the verdict of the Supreme Court on the election petition.

He also urged them to educate their supporters that armed  conflict did not pay and that everybody stood the chance of becoming the loser.

He said the security  agencies were on high alert, saying nobody should venture since that could land  any trouble maker in a  place that could attract a prison term of over 10 years for illegally possessing and using weapons.

He said civil society in peace promotion ought to  undertake a sensitisation drive of the citizenry to be alert and report anybody trying to use arms to foment trouble to the security agencies.

He  disclosed that the  security agencies were attempting to enforce control along the border by  installing scanning equipment at the country’s borders to beef up security to stop the proliferation of small arms into the country.

Mr Applerh said the recent reports from galamsey areas about the use of pump action guns was a cause for worry since  such guns were meant for the security personnel to carry and not ordinary people. 

He said  if we allowed such guns to be in the wrong hands,  “we will destroy our country and nobody would be a winner.”

Mr Applerh urged Ghanaians to reflect soberly on the bizarre experiences of other  countries which in recent past were peaceful nations but were plunged into chaos and anarchy as a result of electoral disagreement.

He appealed to both the petitioners  and respondents at the Supreme Court to view the processs as a means of addressing the challenges of the electoral system and not as a winner  and loser affair process to help preserve  Ghana as a peaceful country.

Story: Abdul Aziz

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