His comment was in response to the recent attack at the Kwabenya District Police Headquarters which led to the killing of a police officer on duty and the freeing of seven inmates, three of whom have since been rearrested.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Xwx2F5CybUARhhdzJp3bxefKTgOfAzNT”]Following the incident, many have questioned the quality of the country’s security, as the police station in question lacked basic equipment such as Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras.

Aside this latest incident, several other police officers have also lost their lives over the years while in the line of duty.

Speaking on Citi FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue, Mr. Cudjoe attributed these incidents to logistical challenges, saying the situation has made it impossible for the Police Service to effectively provide security to Ghanaians.

“The Police Service is in such a decrepit state and I am appalled. I do not think we have a proper Police Service. We are suppose to have about 52,000 Police personnel but as we speak we have about 38,000 and this year, they only recruited 4,000. The armory the Police Service has are Second World War type armory,” he said.

Apart from the logistical challenges, Mr. Cudjoe pointed out that another factor that had contributed to the Service’s inefficacy is the unfair treatment of police officers over the years, particularly in relation to remuneration.

“We do not have to belabour the point that the Police Service has not been treated properly. The welfare of the Police is a serious matter. As we speak only 6,200 of them are properly accommodated out of the 38,000 and over so clearly we do not have a service that is befitting to even take care of themselves.”

There have been several robbery incidents in many parts of the country, with constant reports of political vigilantism, over a year after the New Patriotic Party [NPP] came into office.

From 2016 to January 2018, 17 police officers have lost their lives in their line of duty. The total number of police deaths from 2013 to date, is 48.

Alleged NPP thugs ransack Wa MCE’s residence

Between December 2016 and 2017, Citi News recorded over 20 separate cases of political party violence.

A few days ago, some thugs believed to be aligned to the governing New Patriotic Party(NPP) in the Wa municipality of the Upper West Region, ransacked and vandalized the private residence of the Municipal Chief Executive of the area, Issahaku Moomin Tahiru.

The rampaging youth also vandalized the family house of the MCE and two other houses belonging to his supporters.

‘An isolated incident’

On Tuesday, the Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid assured that persons involved in the Kwabenya incident will be arrested to face the law.

“First of all, government condemns the criminal conduct of these elements in the strongest possible terms. There is a manhunt for these criminal elements and we have no doubts in our minds that they will be brought to face justice.

“While this is one of the isolated incidents that have unsettled the Ghanaian population, we wish to continue to assure the Ghanaian people that the security agencies are working to ensure the general safety of the population. The preventive mechanism of the Police Service remains intact which helps to nip such occurrences in the bud before they become full blown criminal activities.”

‘Ghana remains secure’

The Interior Minister also assured that government had not lost control over the security situation in the country despite the recent attacks.

“There are challenges with our security and we will deal with it. Has government lost control over security ?No. Can we do better? Yes…And we are going to work together to deal with the issue” he said.

Mr. Dery said government will apprehend suspects involved in the Kwabenya incident, saying “the Police are on top of it. They are investigating it. They are making progress. We believe we will get back the people who have perpetrated it and we will deal with it.”

“I believe we need to confront the situation. How can we make it better. We have to work together and see how several ministries can come together. We need to deal with it. We have to get a sustainable way of dealing with it,” he added.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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They came just two weeks after at least 358 people died in another attack, one of the deadliest ever to hit Mogadishu.

Police chief Abdihakin Dahir Saiid and the director of national intelligence, Abdillahi Mohamed Sanbaloosh, were both removed from office on Sunday.

The decision came after an emergency cabinet meeting, Somali officials say.

The Islamist militant group al-Shabab says it carried out Saturday’s bombings.

Police say three militants were captured alive and two others blew themselves up during the attack.

The siege started on Saturday afternoon after a car bomb was driven into the Nasahablod Two hotel. A few minutes later, a second car bomb targeted the former parliament house nearby.

Sporadic gunfire continued inside the hotel throughout the night, witnesses said. Police said the siege lasted almost 12 hours.

Al-Shabab – with has links with al-Qaeda – denies having any involvement in the 14 October attack.

The militants say they targeted the hotel on Saturday because it was frequented by security officials and politicians.

The dead included at least 12 policemen. Many more people were injured.

Provincial leaders, police and intelligence officials were gathering for a meeting with the government to agree on a joint strategy against al-Shabab, due to take place on Sunday.

–

Source: BBC

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Mr. Anning believes the Military’s involvement will bring an end to the incessant attacks being staged by these groups often in the name of politics.

Making his case on Eyewitness News, Dr. Anning said: “The President of the republic of this country does not represent anymore parochial; party interest. He has a broader interest of Ghana at stake, and it is only a matter of time before he will ask the Military to intervene because if the authority of the President is flouted consistently overtime, this begins to have implications for the stability of the country.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”uHts2pKnQNG8Ddg7ORWWUNwgnkDJbpHM”]“It is imperative that something is done and done in a manner that sends a clear signal to the people of this country that indiscipline cannot be tolerated, challenging the authority of the President is a no go area, undermining the authority of the state will be punished drastically.”

There have been a series of attacks by various vigilante groups believed to be affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) since the party came to power in January 2017.

The recent incident saw some irate youth in Karaga in the Northern Region invading a Police station and freeing some NPP members who were in Police custody.

Dr. Anning believes these attacks call for concern, especially when Ghana is surrounded by politically unstable countries that have become breeding grounds for indiscipline and violence.

He believes the violence in these neighbouring countries might eventually infiltrate the country if government fails to act swiftly.

“Let us not forget that we live in a particularly bad neighbourhood. The violence that we see in Burkina Faso, Mali and now neighbouring Togo makes us a small island of stability in a very turbulent and dangerous neighbourhood. It is only a matter of time before these acts of indiscipline and violence, and challenging the authority of the state will be infiltrated, hijacked and this country is going to be threatened.”

Reasons for violence

Mr. Anning also outlined a number of reasons which in his view have contributed to these attacks.

His reasons are listed below :

Violence as political currency: Dr. Anning believes these groups carry out these attacks for “the incentives and payoffs that might arrive thereof.”

Disconnect between the written and publicly stated principles: Dr. Anning also explained that “there is a lacuna in the understanding and expression of party values, so we see that although no party has said they believe in the use of violence, the party activists will use violence and they are hardly ever punished.”

Confusing signals by party officials : According to Dr. Anning “signals that have been sent by party leaders have been confusing, and therefore we see a direct challenge to the authority of the President.”

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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The threat comes in the wake of constant attacks meted out to them on daily basis by notorious armed robbers terrorizing them in the area, virtually holding residents hostage.

The frequent robbery attacks according to the residents, have increased insecurity in the community and its environs, compelling the teachers to issue the warning.

Speaking to Citi News on condition of anonymity, a victim and a spokesperson for the aggrieved teachers confirmed the attacks, and explained that in 2017 alone, they have suffered seven robberies, and just  yesterday [Tuesday], two female teachers were robbed at gunpoint on their way to school.

“In my case, I was in my room, a self-contained apartment and I opened the main door for fresh air. I was there and the person just entered and my phone was in my bag and he took it and run away. I shouted and by the time help came, he was already gone. Just yesterday [Tuesday], they attacked two of our colleagues on their way to school around 7:30am, two boys with their faces covered and wielding guns and they asked them to surrender their phones”.

“In fact, we are living in fear because we are strangers in the community. I’m scared and could not sleep the whole night. I want to leave. I’m not willing to be here again. I know what they are capable of doing”, he lamented.

The frightened teachers blamed the community members of shielding and protecting the culprits because they were their family members.

“I described the culprit, but the community members refused to give me the name to enable me to file a formal complaint to my superiors and the police”.

The teachers are therefore calling on government and the assembly to improve security in the area to save the community from missing out on the country’s educational development due to the operations of armed robbers.

The incident, according to them, has been reported to the police and educational authorities for investigations.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Nana Addo, who described the attack as an “intimidation” from the NDC, urged members of his party and Ghanaians as a whole to “stand up against the bully.”

“We urge all political parties and Ghanaians committed to promoting peace and deepening our democracy to work with us in securing these ends. Ghanaian democrats, no matter their party affiliation, should stand shoulder to shoulder to defend and promote the aims of our democratic Republic that also include standing up against the bully. Let the President and his army of propaganda warriors be assured that they would not succeed in their intimidation and deliberate propaganda mongering against the NPP and I,” he added.

Confusion broke out between some supporters of both the NDC and NPP in front of the residence the Nana Akufo-Addo on Sunday, during a health walk organized by the NDC.

Both parties have accused each other of a gunshot heard at the place.

Nana Addo in a statement, recounted how members of his party in the Brong Ahafo Region and other parts of the country were brutalized by the NDC; adding that the NDC members resorted to such actions because they usually go unpunished.

“Unfortunately, these savage attacks against our party activists have gone unpunished, with the perpetrators of these acts walking free. We have protested the apparently selective manner in which the law is being applied against those perceived to be political opponents of the current government. The police have looked on unconcerned, and the President of the land has not on a single occasion, condemned any of these brutal acts by his Ministers. Is it then a surprise that NDC footsoldiers have become emboldened to extend these attacks to all parts of the country?”

Below is the full statement:

AKUFO-ADDO CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON HIS RESIDENCE, URGES CALM

Sunday, November 13, 2016, was a sad day in our nation’s history. On that day, the Ghanaian people saw a most unbecoming sight: the home of the leader of Ghana’s biggest opposition party being attacked by supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress government.

One would, ordinarily, have treated it as a one-off spectacle, in spite of the nature of the attack. However, my 4-day tour of the Brong Ahafo Region, has revealed a rather disturbing trend, leading up to this year’s elections.

In Sankore, on Thursday, October 10, I witnessed, at firsthand, the open brutalization of NPP members. Prior to my visit, two NPP members had been brutally murdered by NDC thugs. The scars of intimidation and assault by thugs recruited by Hon. Eric Opoku, MP for the constituency and Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, are still evident. In Asutifi South, a few kilometres away, another Minister in President Mahama’s government, Hon. Collins Dauda, MP, is also perpetrating violence against his own constituents. Ghanaians heard on the radio comments made by the brother of Hon. Collins Dauda to the effect that he kills people on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, these savage attacks against our party activists have gone unpunished, with the perpetrators of these acts walking free. We have protested the apparently selective manner in which the law is being applied against those perceived to be political opponents of the current government. The police have looked on unconcerned, and the President of the land has not, on a single occasion, condemned any of these brutal acts by his Ministers.

Is it then a surprise that NDC footsoldiers have become emboldened to extend these attacks to all parts of the country?

For us in the NPP, the peace of the nation, as well as the consolidation of our democratic governance are not negotiable. We urge all political parties and Ghanaians committed to promoting peace and deepening our democracy to work with us in securing these ends. Ghanaian democrats, no matter their party affiliation, should stand shoulder to shoulder to defend and promote the aims of our democratic Republic that also include standing up against the bully.

Let the President and his army of propaganda warriors be assured that they would not succeed in their intimidation and deliberate propaganda mongering against the NPP and I.

We shall continue to believe in Ghana. We will muster the necessary courage to defend democratic Ghana and continue in our peaceful quest to win power in 2016 and bring back hope and opportunities to the people of Ghana, irrespective of their politics, creed, ethnicity, region, religion, age, gender or social status.

……signed……

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

2016 NPP Presidential Candidate

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were sentenced to between seven and 10 years in jail after being found guilty of aiding a “terrorist group”.

Mr Sisi was quoted by the al-Masry al-Youm newspaper late on Sunday as saying the trial had “very negative effects”.

His remarks received a mixed response from the journalists’ families.

Foreign governments, media organisations and human rights groups accused the Egyptian authorities of restricting freedom of speech.

Al-Jazeera said it defied “logic, sense and any semblance of justice”.

‘Amicable solution’

At a meeting with local journalists on Sunday, President Sisi sought to counter claims that the case had been politically motivated.

“The verdict issued against a number of journalists had very negative effects; and we had nothing to do with it,” he said, according to al-Masry al-Youm. “I wished they were deported immediately after they were arrested instead of being put on trial.”

Mohammed Abdul Hadi Allam, the editor of the state-run al-Ahram newspaper, and Imad Hussein, the editor of the private daily al-Shurouq, confirmed to the BBC that the quotes were accurate.

The president’s initial reaction was to distance himself from the case and insist he would not interfere with the judiciary. His latest remarks will therefore raise hopes that he might issue pardons to set the journalists free, reports the BBC’s Sally Nabil in Cairo.

However, under Egyptian law this can only happen after the appeals process has ended, which could take months, our correspondent adds.

Trial ‘a sham’

Greste, an Australian former BBC correspondent, Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian who was al-Jazeera English’s Cairo bureau chief, and Mohamed, an Egyptian producer, were arrested in December.

They were accused of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood following the military’s overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by providing it with a media platform and equipment. The Egyptians were also accused of belonging to the outlawed Islamist movement.

The journalists dismissed the trial as a “sham”, complaining that they were “hostages” in a political battle between Egypt and Qatar, which owns al-Jazeera and supports the Brotherhood.

However, they were found guilty on 23 June. Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to seven years in prison, while Mohamed received an additional three years for a separate weapons possession charge.

Four media students were also handed seven-year prison terms, and three other foreign journalists were sentenced to 10 years in absentia.

Al-Jazeera trial

• Defendants included al-Jazeera’s Cairo bureau chief, Mohamed Fahmy, who is Canadian-Egyptian, Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed and Australian correspondent Peter Greste
• They denied charges of spreading false news and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood
• The three men were seized in a raid at a Cairo hotel on 29 December and have been held at Cairo’s Tora prison
• The court tried 20 people, including nine al-Jazeera employees

Who are the al-Jazeera journalists on trial in Egypt?

Greste’s brother, Andrew, said he was heartened by President Sisi’s comments.

“I’m sure images of Peter in the cage in the court are not images Egypt really wants distributed around the world,” he told reporters in Brisbane.

“I’d like to think that there’s things happening at all levels… and everyone can talk about it and seek an amicable solution,” he added.

Fahmy’s brother, Adel, was also optimistic.

“This could be a positive indication that something might be worked out,” he told the BBC over the phone from Kuwait.

“We hope the president’s generosity could lead him to find a solution to this unique case.”

But Mohamed’s father, Hazem Ghurab, told the BBC that Mr Sisi’s remarks were “a farce”, adding: “What would you expect from the man who killed many people and felt no remorse?”

Mr Sisi was declared president after an election last month that was boycotted by the Brotherhood and many secular activists.

Source: BBC

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