Threats Of Terrorist Attacks On Ghanaian Churches

NEWS COMMENTARY ON THREATS OF TERRORIST ATTACKS ON GHANAIAN CHURCHES

Reports of terror attacks in Burkina Faso where extremists have launched attacks on churches killing some worshippers are indeed heart-breaking. The Africa Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies last week issued a security alert that the Salifi Jihadist group based in Burkina Faso had been moving in and out of Ghana through the border with Burkina Faso over the past four months. This indeed has sent shivers down the spine of most Ghanaians especially Christians. Since April this year, 18 worshippers and two priests have been killed in four separate attacks in Burkina Faso which share common border with Ghana in the Northern Region. Since January this year about a dozen African Countries including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Somalia have suffered terror attacks in which thousands of Civilians have been killed. Africa currently hosts several terrorists’ groups that are affiliated with or influenced by Al Qaeda.

Most Ghanaians believe recent Burkinabe attacks are too close for comfort especially when less than a week ago a Burkinabe man was caught with a pistol at a crowded Catholic church in Hamile in the Upper West Region. Police say the man whose name is being kept in confidence could not explain why he had a gun on him. Subsequent to the attacks in Burkina Faso, the Security Agencies in Ghana have been placed on high alert to ward off any such attacks should they occur. They have been meeting the leadership of the Christian community to discuss how to enhance security. Ahead of the meetings, some churches have begun to improve security on their premises as well as arm their members with personal security tips. A survey launched in 2016 showed there were 2.3 million small arms in circulation in Ghana, making the threats from Burkina Faso a bit scary. Leadership of the Christian and Muslim community need to adopt proper security measures at their places of worship. Strangers who visit churches and mosque must be screened to ensure that they do not possess any illegal weapons. At the Eid-ul -Fitr prayers at the Black Star Square in Accra, President Akufo-Addo commended the vigilance of two residents of Hamile in the Upper West Region for foiling a potential attack on the Catholic church. He urged the public not to be agent of provocatives to destroy our country through threats or physical attacks on Christians and Muslims by miscreants in the West African sub-region and other parts of the world.

Security is indeed a shared responsibility between civilians, the military and police. Nigeria for instance has spent billions of Nara and dedicated tens of thousands of troops to fight Boko Haram. There is no justification whatsoever for any Christian to attack a Muslim or vice versa. Our churches and Mosques are sacred places and cannot be tampered with bloodshed. We need to intensify security training for our youth especially National Service Personnel and NABCO Interns. Intelligence gathering must be high on the National Agenda. Education on security issues must be intensified in our churches, mosque and schools so that people will know the dos and don’ts in the event of an attack. It is good both NPP and NDC have committed themselves to banning political party vigilantism as these are nursery grounds for terrorism. Security must be tightened at our hotels, pubs and beach fronts. Ghana is widely acknowledged as a peace haven, and everything must be done to maintain that. Let us be our brother’s keeper.

BY: JUSTICE MINGLE, A JOURNALIST.