There have been a number of terrorist attacks in Mali, Cote d’ Ivoire, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and some other West African countries in recent years.

[contextly_sidebar id=”CrAPzwdXlvfTc1Z4HZIUhLVjeAHBmkJr”]This has led to some fear that these terrorist groups could target Ghana next.

The Public Relations Officer for the Immigration Service, Michael Amoako-Atta, however, indicated that the Service is adequately trained for any unforeseen attacks.

He indicated that though the Service is slightly under-resourced, it can handle any potential terror attacks in the country.

“We may not have all the logistics that we need, but the little that we have and by our training and conduct, we have been able over the years to maintain security at the country’s borders. Just a year ago when Cote D’lvoire was in crisis we were able to maintain sanity at the borders that there was not much spill over,” he said.

“We have trained ourselves that we should be able to use the little that we have to defend Ghana. Fortunately for us the government gave us some logistics which will enhance our work but whatever it is, we always make sure that our borders are safe.”

‘We’re ready to handle terror attacks’

A few weeks ago, the Ghana Armed Forces also assured the general public of its readiness to defend the country from any internal or external attacks by individuals or terrorist groups.

Commanding Officer of the 64 Infantry Regiment Lt Col Fiifi Deegbe told Citi News several exercises will be organised to enable the unit execute its special mandate of counter-terrorism.

“With this exercise the public should be rest-assured that the Ghana Armed Forces has the security of the nation at heart and they should be rest-assured that everything is under control…We are well trained to react to any terrorist attack should it occur.”

Canada, UK issue terror attack alert in Ghana

In August 2017, the Canadian government issued a terror alert to its citizens traveling to Ghana.

“There is a threat of terrorism. Terrorist targets could include shopping malls, government buildings, public areas such as bars, restaurants, hotels and sites frequented by Westerners. Be aware of your surroundings in public places,” a notice posted by the Canadian government had indicated.

The United Kingdom in that same year indicated on its website that “terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Ghana.”

“While there have been no recent attacks in Ghana, terrorist groups in west Africa have demonstrated their capability and intent by mounting attacks in 2015 and 2016 in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali, targeting beach resorts, hotels, cafes and restaurants visited by foreigners,” UK government had stated on its website.

In April 2016, security services in Ghana warned of terror attacks on the country but later said enough measures had been put in place to avert terrorism.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ghana’s borders remain secure – Immigration Service appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

There have been a number of terrorist attacks in Mali, Cote d’ Ivoire, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and some other West African countries in recent years.

This has led to some fear that these terrorist groups could target Ghana next.

Speaking to the media after a field training exercise however, the Commanding Officer of the 64 Infantry Regiment Lt Col Fiifi Deegbe said several exercises will be organised to enable the unit execute its special mandate of counter terrorism.

“With this exercise the public should be rest assured that the Ghana Armed Forces has the security of the nation at heart and they should be rest assured that everything is under control…We are well trained to react to any terrorist attack should it occur.”

The over four-hour exercise was a simulation of a real life terrorist attack at the Accra Shopping Mall.

Canada, UK issue terror attack alert in Ghana

In August 2017, the Canadian government issued a terror alert to its citizens traveling to Ghana.

“There is a threat of terrorism. Terrorist targets could include shopping malls, government buildings, public areas such as bars, restaurants, hotels and sites frequented by Westerners. Be aware of your surroundings in public places,” a notice posted by the Canadian government had indicated.

The United Kingdom in that same year indicated on its website that “terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Ghana.”

“While there have been no recent attacks in Ghana, terrorist groups in west Africa have demonstrated their capability and intent by mounting attacks in 2015 and 2016 in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali, targeting beach resorts, hotels, cafes and restaurants visited by foreigners,” UK government had stated on its website.

In April 2016, security services in Ghana warned of terror attacks on the country but later said enough measures had been put in place to avert terrorism.

–

By: Anas Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ‘We’re ready to handle terror attacks’ – Armed Forces appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

On a number of occasions, countries across the globe have had cause to warn, and continue to warn their citizens against imminent terror attacks. The latest caution was the alerts by the United Kingdom and Canada in August 2017.  Not long after their alerts to citizens, terrorists struck in Burkina Faso, Ghana’s northern neighbour.

So far, no terror attack has occurred in Ghana.  The fake news of a terrorist attack at the Accra Mall, however puts Ghana’s emergency response plan/measures, if any, under the spotlight and a number of questions are begging for swift answers.

• Does Ghana have any specialised unit or force that will respond to a terror attack in any part of the country?

• If there is such a force or unit, have members received the requisite training on anti-terror operations?

• Is the unit or force adequately equipped to respond to a terror attack of any kind or it is also plagued with the same set of known logistical and resource challenges facing Ghana’s traditional security institutions?

• Where is the unit or force located?

• Is the unit or force part of the regular military, the police service or a separate entity on its own?

• How is the unit or force, if existent, funded?

• How will the unit or force have air transport capabilities  (Ability for a unit/force to be deployed by air) in view of serious challenges such as terrible road networks in many parts of the country, crippling traffic jams, poor response time, etc.

It is safe to say that Ghana is a country blessed with human and natural resources. The country, therefore, has so much potential to make huge strides in economy.  However, a single terror threat or attack can hugely affect the country’s economic progress. It will further shake investor confidence in Ghana.

The question to ask now is; Are our policy makers interested in protecting the country, and placing us on a path of unparalleled economic growth?

It must be pointed out that human security plays a key role in the growth of any economy. I will, however, not stray into explaining the technicalities involved. All I am tryingto ask is, are we prepared as a country to handle any unfortunate situation?

Let’s take for instance the recent Atomic Junction Gas explosion, which has claimed 7 lives so far, and injured some 132 people. From my perspective, two questions arise out of that tragedy. Firstly, did our emergency service providers respond adequately and in good time to the tragedy? Secondly, what existing safety protocols were deployed on the day to save lives? Answers to both questions, are what my friend, Ataa Gbeii, often responds to by shouting I don’t know.

In all honesty, I hold the view that our emergency services are not in the right shape to adequately handle massive disasters or emergency situations. Is it not odd that a day after the recent gas explosion, the 37 Military Hospital, a UN-certified medical facility, was asking for basic medical supplies to help treat fire victims who were rushed there from the scene of the incident?

Days later, I heard a medical officer from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana’s premier medical facility, lamenting “we don’t as a nation have a well-equipped facility to deal with disasters resulting from LPG.”

Also, in the aftermath of the explosion, people had virtually no safety protocols to observe in order to save lives; i.e. how to flee to safety. Even students from University of Ghana, whose residence were close, were seen running helter-skelter, resulting in avoidable injuries.

According to reports, speeding vehicles driven by panic-stricken drivers ran over a number of people fleeing from the scene of the disaster, resulting in injuries. If Ghana had robust safety protocols perhaps, the injuries and deaths recorded would have been fewer.

Some two weeks after the Atomic Junction LPG explosion, I have still not heard from the relevant security agencies as to how they intend educating the public on how to effectively respond to such emergencies in the future. The most sickening truth about the recent disaster is that police officers, with little or no education in emergency care and disaster management, were the first respondents. I only have two questions for whoever cares to read from the nation’s security apparatus:

1. Is the Police Service well-resourced to deal with these challenges?

2. Is there any structured training module for them on how to engage the general public in dealing with same?

While I wait for appropriate answers, I shudder to think of what the consequences would have been if there was massive terror attack on Ghana.

It is a pathetic fact that the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has been reduced to respondents who carry rice and oil to disaster scenes. How shocking!!!

While we consider these critical issues, let those at the helm of affairs know that the security threats to the country are many and varied and that we have gone past conventional security threats. We therefore have to act appropriately.

–

By: Richard Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Can Ghana’s emergency response handle terror attack? [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A white van hit pedestrians on London Bridge at about 22:00 BST on Saturday before three men got out and stabbed people in nearby Borough Market.

Police said the three men were wearing fake bomb vests.

One of those hurt is a police officer who was stabbed after going to help. His injuries are not life-threatening.

The Conservatives have suspended national general election campaigning and the prime minister will chair a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee later.

Theresa May described Saturday night’s events as “dreadful”, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called them “brutal and shocking”.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was “a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners”, but it remained the “safest global city” and Londoners would not be cowed by terrorism.

More than 80 medics were sent to the scene and the injured, some of them critical, are now being treated in five hospitals across the capital.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said it was currently believed there were only three attackers involved and the explosive vests they were wearing were “hoaxes”.

“We are treating this as a terrorist incident and a full investigation is already under way,” he added.

It is the third terror attack in the UK in three months following the car and knife attack in Westminster in March, which left five people dead, and the Manchester bombing less than two weeks ago, in which 22 people were killed.

The Met Police has set up a casualty bureau on 0800 096 1233 and 020 7158 0197 for people concerned about friends or relatives who may be affected.

‘Very aggressive’
BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was on the bridge at the time of the attack, said the van was “probably travelling at about 50 miles an hour”.

“He swerved right round me and then hit about five or six people. He hit about two people in front of me and then three behind,” Ms Jones told the BBC News Channel.

Another eyewitness, Robbie, was sitting in a taxi opposite the Barrowboy and Banker pub on London Bridge.

“I saw about 20 or 30 people rushing to get back into the pub and five seconds later a big white van came screeching down the pavement,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.

“Two or three people jumped out. Initially, I thought it was a road traffic incident and the people had jumped out to see if anyone was injured, but I could tell immediately, they looked very aggressive.”

His friend Josh was coming out of the pub a few seconds later and saw people running up to the bridge from Borough Market.

“A chap ran up and I heard him shout, ‘He’s got a knife, he’s stabbing people.'”

Another witness Gerard told the BBC: “They were running up shouting, ‘This is for Allah.’ They stabbed this girl maybe 10 times, 15 times. She was going, ‘Help me, help me.'”

Gerard said he chased the attackers, who were running into pubs and bars, and threw bottles, chairs and other items to try to stop them.

Gunshots were heard in the area while one social media user posted a photograph appearing to show one of the attackers lying on the ground outside a pub in the food market, with what police now say was a fake bomb vest strapped to his body.

A bomb disposal team was later called to Borough Market and local residents told to leave their homes.

Eyewitness Will Orton was also in a pub close to the scene.

“We didn’t really know what was going on,” he said. “We thought maybe there was a fight or something outside. And then there were almost hundreds of people coming inside.

“The bouncers did a really good job, they shut the doors and locked everyone in. There was panic – it seemed like it was literally outside the door.”

Vilwar Hussein helped carry the injured police officer to nearby Guy’s hospital and recalled seeing a wound in his chest “and blood everywhere”.

Earlier, Vilwar said he saw the white van perform an illegal U-turn on London Bridge before driving back southwards along the pavement.

Transport for London (TfL) said London Bridge had been closed in both directions, while neighbouring Southwark Bridge has also been shut.

TfL said there were further closures in Borough High Street, while on the north side of the river, road closures included Lower Thames Street.

–

Source: BBC

The post Six killed in London terror attack appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The deal is worth a total of $3bn (£1.8bn), and is thought to be Apple’s largest acquisition to date.

As part of the acquisition, Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre will join the technology firm.

Apple boss Tim Cook said the deal would allow the firm to “continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world”.

In a statement, Apple said it is paying an initial $2.6bn (£1.6bn) for Beats, and approximately $400m (£239m) “that will vest over time”.

Beats was founded in 2008 by music producer Jimmy Iovine and hip-hop star Dr Dre and until recently was best known for its headphones.

It started a subscription-based music streaming service earlier this year.

Apple has its own iTunes store, the world’s largest music download service, and launched iTunes Radio last year.

But despite having been an early pioneer of digital music, the Californian firm has been facing increased competition from subscription services such as Spotify, Pandora and Rdio.

However, Beats’ music service only has about 250,000 paying subscribers,compared with Spotify’s 10 million.

‘It’s the people’

The deal with Beats also marks a departure for Apple, which has a reputation for developing new products in-house, rather than buying up smaller firms – a method preferred by rivals Google.

But in an interview with the New York Times, Mr Cook hinted that Beats’ founders may have been part of the attraction.

“Could Eddy’s team [Eddy Cue, Apple executive in charge of iTunes] have built a subscription service? Of course,” he told the newspaper.

“You don’t build everything yourself. It’s not one thing that excites us here. It’s the people. It’s the service.”

“These guys are really unique,” Mr Cook added. “It’s like finding the precise grain of sand on the beach. They’re rare and very hard to find.”

The Apple boss also said that Dr Dre and Mr Iovine would be coming up with “products you haven’t thought of yet”.

The post Apple agrees to buy headphone maker Beats for $3bn appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.