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Minority demands withdrawal of military deployment to Ghana-Togo border towns
The Minority in Parliament is demanding the immediate withdrawal of military personnel deployed to some Ghana-Togo border towns.
The deployment comes just days ahead of the commencement of the voter registration exercise tomorrow.
Ghana’s land, sea air borders have remained shut since March 22 as a measure to stop the importation of coronavirus cases into the country.
According to the caucus, the deployment of the troops to border towns in the Volta, Oti, Northern, North East and Upper East regions is a ploy by government to instill fear into the people ahead of the exercise.
By this, the Minority is of the conviction that people in the affected areas would not be able turn out in their numbers to partake in the exercise.
Minority spokesperson on Defence and Interior, James Agalga, addressing journalists in Parliament on Friday said the deployment was intended to intimidate citizens in the affected regions which are considered strongholds of the opposition National Democratic Congress.
“There is a certain scheme which is designed by the government to intimidate our teeming supporters from coming out in their numbers to register and have their names on the new voter register,” Mr Agalga, MP, Builsa North said.
In James Agalga’s view, the deployment was uncalled for because “after all, we are all aware that our borders were shut down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“What is this second wave of deployment meant to achieve? Is there a threat of aggression from our neighbouring countries?” he asked.
Impressing on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, to immediately “Cause to be withdrawn the massive deployment we are witnessing along our borders,” James Agalga, a former Deputy Defence Minister said “COVID-19 did not start today.”
“The hotspots are not in the Volta Region. It is here in Accra,” he added.
Disclosing that the caucus had received a myriad of complaints from the people in the affected areas, especially in the Volta Region, that they were living in fear, James Agalga said “we know of no major security threat along that particular frontier” to warrant the deployment.
Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, has however dismissed the suspicions of the opposition lawmakers.
Even though Dr Letsa, Chairman of the Regional Security Council, admitted to the deployment, he said it was to enforce the closure of the country’s eastern borders in line with steps taken by government to stop the importation of coronavirus cases into the country from neighbouring countries.
Speaking on Joynews on Friday night, Dr Letsa who said the deployment was at the behest of the Regional Security Council was not a novelty.
“We are only enforcing the closure of the borders which remain closed till otherwise directed,” he stated.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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