By Ashiadey Dotse
Political scientist Dr Joshua Zato has criticised the Minister for Defence for being overly dramatic in his comments about the alleged missing ammunition from the Ghana Armed Forces, saying the remarks have created unnecessary fear and panic among the public.
Dr Zato believes the situation has been exaggerated and does not amount to the theft or disappearance of weapons, as suggested. Speaking in an interview on TV3’s Keypoint show on Saturday, July 26, 2025, he clarified that the ammunition in question was transferred from the Ministry of Defence to National Security, a standard practice that, according to him, follows official procedure.
“This issue has been blown out of proportion. The Minister was unnecessarily dramatic in how he presented it,” Dr Zato said. “What happened wasn’t theft. The ammunition was transferred from one government agency to another. That means someone signed for it, and there are records of the transaction.”
He emphasised that such transfers are not new and usually involve official orders, proper documentation, and signed acknowledgements at both ends, the military and National Security.
“Nobody said the transfer was illegal. Nobody said it was unethical. Someone authorised it. Someone received it. This happens all the time in government,” he stressed.
Dr Zato also questioned why the Ministry of Defence did not engage National Security directly to verify the whereabouts or use of the ammunition before raising alarm in public.
“Before coming out to tell the country that the ammunition is missing, did the Defence Ministry ask National Security what they used it for? Because they might have used it for a covert or special operation, which doesn’t require disclosure to everyone,” he said.
He added that in matters of national security, not every official, including the Defence Minister, is always on a “need-to-know” basis.
“What if it was used in cooperation with a foreign country for a classified operation? Would they have to come and announce that to us? No. That’s not how intelligence works,” Dr Zato noted.
He concluded that while it’s important to handle national security matters with seriousness, creating public panic over internal transfers within government security agencies is counterproductive and could undermine public trust.
“The Defence Minister should have handled the issue with more calm and clarity,” Dr Zato said. “The way it was communicated to Ghanaians has only created fear where none was needed.”
