Mr Bedi John Bosco, the Human Rights Director in Lawra in the Upper West Region has advised the youth to form Community Surveillance Teams in consultation with the Police against the threat of extremist activities in neighbouring countries.
These Community Surveillance Teams, he noted would take note of the movement of strangers and any other criminal activities that could potentially disturb the peace of the communities and report same to the police for investigations.
Mr Bosco gave the advice during a day’s workshop with Youth Activists on violent extremism organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) under the Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to the Northern Border Regions (NORPREVSEC) project being sponsored by the European Union.
On signs of radicalism, the Human Rights Director urged the youth to look out for people with strange behaviours, friends and relationships; those becoming increasingly argumentative; and those refusing to listen to different points of view.
Also, those who keep changing friends and distancing themselves from old ones, always on the internet for long hours and being very secretive with whatever they are doing.
Mr Bosco said these and many others are possible signs of radicalism and called on the youth to assist in creating the awareness of violent extremism in their communities to help enhance the knowledge of citizens to prevent it from occurring.
Mr Samuel N. Dapila, the secretary of Assemblies of God Church in Lawra who spoke on Peace Building Mechanism, said, “peace seeks to address the underlying causes of conflict, helping people to resolve their differences peacefully and lay the foundations to prevent future violence.”
On community-based approaches to peace building, Mr Dapila urged the participants to collaborate with traditional leaders to use the traditional justice system in the communities to address conflicts.
Corporal Joseph Oppong Peprah, the Representative of the Lawra Municipal Police Commander, took participants through the Public Order Act (Act 491) and urged them to always notify the Ghana police service five days as stated in the Act before they can embark on demonstration, procession, and street carnival among others.
This, he said would enable the Police to assign personnel to provide them with security, emphasizing that it was the duty of the Police to enforce and maintain the law for the protection of lives and property.
He, therefore, urged participants to hand over suspected criminals to the police and desist from taking the law into their own hands.
Madam Patience Sally Kumah, the Regional Director of the NCCE, called for tolerance among members of communities despite ethnic, religious and political differences to ensure national cohesion.
Mr Mornah Jesurun Ninge, the Lawra Municipal Director of the NCCE said the engagement was to enhance participants’ understanding of peace building mechanisms, community-based mechanisms for preventing violent extremism, identifying early warning signals, community surveillance, and Basic community-based strategies for addressing arms proliferation.
Mr Alfred Sogaro, a Youth Leader, encouraged his colleagues to replicate the training in their various communities to increase awareness about violent extremism for them to guard against their activities.
