Mr Jeffery Adda, the Builsa North Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has called for installation of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at public and private structures to track terrorist activities.
He said it was incumbent on citizens to improve their participation in the fight against violent extremism in the country, “Violent extremism has become a global threat, hence the need to combat this threat.”
Speaking at a youth activists’ engagement on violent extremism in Sandema to identify early warning signals of extremist violence, Mr Adda noted that “Violent extremism is so real and as a country, we must collectively act fast on this national security threat.
“As Ghanaians we have to be wary of the activities of violent extremists in our neighbouring countries and take personal steps to safeguard the security of our communities,” the Municipal Director cautioned.
The European Union (EU) sponsored engagement was on the theme; “Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to the Northern Border Regions of Ghana (NORPREVSEC).”
The programme brought together stakeholders including; the clergy, various youth groups within the Municipality, Persons With Disability, representatives of political parties, representatives from the Association of hairdressers and dressmakers, the media among others.
Mr Adda explained that in line with the broader goal of NORPREVSEC to fight transnational organised crime, promote respect for human rights and the rule of law, the Youth Activists Engagement was aimed at equipping the youth with the relevant information on violent extremism and radicalism.
This, the Director noted would guard them against the tendency of being recruited to perpetuate violence in their respective communities and country at large.
He said extremists activities in neighbouring countries threatened the peace and stability of the country, stressing that it was “Imperative for all Ghanaians to be concerned in order to contribute to preserving our dear country.”
He said the Commission was undertaking community awareness activities to identify early warning signals of violence extremism, peace building mechanism, and measures to counter radicalization of the youth, especially young people in the country.
The Director acknowledged the support of the EU over the years and expressed gratitude to the Union for the current project to equip the youth with the relevant information on violent extremism and radicalism to guard against terrorist recruitments.
The Municipal Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Francis Kwasi Amankwah who schooled participants on how to prevent violent extremism, said everyone was a potential victim of terrorists attack.
He said acts of terrorism did not favour anybody and indicated that crowded places such as market centres, worship centres among other crowded places were fertile grounds for possible terrorists attacks.
ASP Amankwah also reiterated the need for security measures, especially CCTV cameras to be installed in public and private places to track activities of people in public, “Let’s us be security cautious to support the Police. Security is a shared responsibility.”
