Ghana on Bomb Alert

Though Ghana is considered one of the most peaceful countries in Africa, the recent bombing carried out in Nigeria by an Islamic group, Boko Haram, has sent warning signals to the security agencies to be on high alert to thwart such terrorist attacks in the country.

Information filtering in indicates that during the recent meeting held between defence attache`s of Ghana's missions abroad and the Defence Minister, General Henry Smith (rtd), in Accra, a top military man in the Ghana Armed Forces was said to have raised the issue of the Boko Haram bombing of the police headquarters in Nigeria, which killed about six people and injured many others, and the need for Ghana to also be on high alert to thwart such attacks.

In response, the Minister assured the country that his Ministry was battle-ready to protect the civilian population from such terrorist attacks, which is alien to the West Africa sub-region.

The Boko Haram group, last week Thursday, bombed NigeriaÃs police headquarters in Abuja, leaving at least six people dead. The police said 33 cars were damaged beyond repair, and 40 more partially damaged.

The attack comes days after Nigeria's police chief visited the north-eastern town of Maiduguri, where Boko Haram is based, and vowed to defeat the group.

The group had earlier carried many attacks, mainly on police stations in and around Maiduguri, capital of the Bono state in the north.

In a recent interview he granted the Voice of America (VOA), the Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, noted that the violent attacks in Nigeria, especially, those in the Niger Delta, cannot happen in Ghana, because the Nigeria situation is different.

According to him, whereas Nigeria was extracting her crude oil on land, Ghana's Jubilee oil fields was about 64 nautical miles offshore, therefore, the issue of destruction to farmlands would not arise.

He told his host, Ssaka Sali, that despite the oil being extracted from deep sea, the government had decided to put the needed infrastructure in place, amounting to about $3 billion in the Western Region, to serve the interest of the people, as they would be the first victims, should any disaster occur.

Apart from this, Vice President Mahama also said the government had committed special funds to tackle the road networks in the region. With these measures in place, the Vice President hopes there would be peace in the area, and the country as a whole.

Though Ghana does not have such extremists who attack government installations and security personnel operating in the country, the security agencies are not prepared to give such terrorist groups any chance to strike.

In a follow up interview with the Public Affairs Director of the Ghana Armed Forces, Col. Atitande, he noted that terrorists do not tell when and how they would strike, and that all stakeholders, including the security agencies and the civilian population, must be on the lookout for any suspicious movement of people, and promptly report to the security agencies.

He also appealed to fishermen to report any suspicious movement of vessels on our high seas to the security agencies, which would move in to conduct investigations. According to Col. Atitande, fighting terrorism needs effective collaboration between the security agencies and the civilian population, hence the need for the latter, including journalists who receive vital information on a daily basis, to also support the cause.

He noted that though Ghana was a peaceful country, it does not mean she should sit down idle when such attacks are being carried out in neighbouring countries.