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WA brainstorms to counter violent extremism
The Upper West Regional Crime Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Reynolds Manteaw has encouraged community members to form watch committees to complement the efforts of the police in ensuring security in the region.
He indicated that though security forces in the country were putting the best strategies in place to protect the citizens, they would need the collaboration of all in order to make their mandate more feasible.
“Through vigilance, these watch committees can monitor and report activities of suspected persons in the community to the police for further action”, he said.
C/Supt Manteaw who made this known at a Regional Inter-party Dialogue Committee Meeting organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) at Wa on Monday, explained that with the knowledge and guidance of the police, the community members could put themselves into these groups to safeguard the security of their respective communities.
The meeting sought to create a platform for dialogue among the stakeholders on effective ways of identifying early warning signs of extremist violence through community surveillance and also develop measures to counter radicalisation of the youth.
The Crime Officer used the opportunity to encourage community members to decline invitation to join groups that sought to foment trouble in society and said they should rather report such suspicious groups to the police for immediate action.
The Deputy Regional Director of the NCCE, Mr John Yibile also urged the public, particularly the youth to stay away from individuals or political activists who sought to recruit them into vigilante groups and entice them to cause mayhem.
He stated that violent extremism was becoming a threat to peaceful coexistence and social cohesion and said there was the need to ensure that citizens were sensitised to the nature and prevention of activities of such groups in the region.
The meeting formed part of a project dubbed ‘Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to the Border Regions of Ghana (NORPRESEC)’ funded by the European Union.
Representatives of various political parties, traditional authorities, staff of the Electoral Commission, people living with disabilities, among others attended the forum.
From Rafia Abdul Razak, Wa
The Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has disbursed GHS134,000 to 22 students under the latest round of his Scholarship and Bursaries Programme.
According to a statement from his office, the 22 beneficiaries are enrolled in 16 tertiary institutions across the country.
They are studying various courses, including medicine, marketing, law, public health, midwifery, business administration, education, and secretaryship.
The MP’s office commended the beneficiaries, especially the five students currently studying medicine and physician assistantship, encouraging them to remain committed to their studies.
The statement indicated that the scholarship initiative, which began in 2017, aims to support brilliant but needy students from the Ofoase Ayirebi Constituency to further their education. So far, about 700 students have benefited from the program.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Four tricycle operators, popularly known as ‘Pragya’, have been prosecuted and fined GH¢600 each equivalent to 50 penalty units by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Sanitation Court for obstructing public roads at the Agbogbloshie Market.
The offenders, who were arrested by Public Health Officers of the AMA during a routine enforcement exercise, pleaded guilty to the offence and were subsequently convicted by the court.
The four operators were among the 21 offenders recently arrested at the Agbogbloshie Market for various sanitation and public order violations, including selling on open drains, obstructing walkways, and trading at unauthorised locations.
Speaking after the court proceedings, the Head of Public Health at the AMA, Madam Florence Kuukyi, said the court was lenient with the offenders since it was their first appearance, hence the fine, and warned that subsequent offenders would face stiffer penalties, including imprisonment.
