A Retired Police officer who is currently Member of Parliament for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has said that in order to ensure proper security of the country, all the players within the sector should operate within their respective mandates.
He said this while criticizing the National Security for the operations that took place in Garu last Sunday.
He indicated that the National Security is not an operational agent. Rather, it is a body that plays a coordinating role in the security structure.
Toobu said he was surprised by the action of the National Security operatives.
He said on the Ghana Tonight Show on TV3 Monday, October 30 “What happened in Garu cannot be anything that will encourage people in uniform, it cannot encourage anybody in the security sector. The security sector is well structured. National Security is central to the success of security in this country as much as they play the lead role of coordination. National Security is not an operational agent, let us get it right.
“If National Security veers into operation they mess up the whole structure. National Security has to superintend over the intelligence of this country, analyze information, arrive at an intelligence position and decide that this is an action that requires the Police to step in, this is a situation that requires the Ghana Armed Forces to step in, this is a situation that requires the Immigration to step in.
“At that material moment, National Security is deemed to be playing that revolving role. But if you have men and women who say they are from national security taking up operational roles to the point that they get into the system to attack, it is surprising.”
He added “I trust that the Members of Parliament in that area will do something, if they raise it on the floor of Parliament all of us will contribute to the debate and ensure this country remains peaceful and people will be in their lane.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Security has explained that the dawn military operation that took place in Garu in the Upper East Region.
Some residents of Garu and Bugri were injured following a dawn military operation in the communities.
The situation attracted flak from security analysts including Dr Adam Bonaa who said that the military invasion did not appear to be a counter-terrorism operation due to the assault on the people.
Dr Bonaa explained that the modus of operandi for fighting terrorism has been one that involves the locals to be able to win therefore, attacking them will rather be counter-productive to the efforts in fighting the terrorists.
“No country has been able to fight terrorism without the involvement of the people. and so if you are there claiming to be fighting terrorism then I will say you need the involvement of the people. This doesn’t look like an activity to counter terrorists, this looks like an operation to brutalize the people in the area,” he said on the mid-day news on TV3 Sunday October 29.
But the Ministry of National Security explained that on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 an irate youth group armed with AK 47 rifles, machetes and other weapons besieged a team of five counter-terrorism intelligence officers deployed by the Ministry of National Security to Garu on a critical, special operation.
Despite initial attempts to introduce themselves as National Security personnel, the Ministry said, the irate youth group proceeded to attack the officers by firing multiple gun shots at a black Toyota Land Cruiser in which the officers were seated.
Following an escalation of the attacks on their vehicle, the officers drove to seek refuge at the Garu Police Station.
“The irate youth, subsequently, pursued the officers, encircled the police station and fired multiple shots at same with the intention of killing the officers. The timely intervention of the Ghana Armed Forces enabled the safe evacuation of the National Security personnel from the Garu Police Station,” a statement by the Ministry on Sunday October 29 said.
Further to the aforesaid development, it added, the Ministry of National Security and the Ghana Armed Forces, on Saturday, October 28, 2023, conducted a joint operation in Garu to seize weapons used by the perpetrators of the attack on the National Security personnel.
“A number of the perpetrators have also been arrested. The Ministry of National Security deems the attack on the security personnel at a police station highly unacceptable, and strongly condemns acts aimed at intimidating and harming officials of State Security and Intelligence Agencies, and impeding them from effectively executing their mandate to safeguard the peace and stability of Ghana.
“Whereas the Ministry of National Security works to promote active citizen participation in safeguarding the peace and stability of our dear nation, deliberate acts that seek to jeopardise the lives of personnel of State Security and Intelligence Agencies will not be countenanced.
“The Ministry owes it a duty to protect personnel of State Security and Intelligence Agencies who have sworn an oath to, at all times, defend the people and the territorial integrity of Ghana against all forms of threats,” the statement said.