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General News of Friday, 18 January 2013

Source: Ghana Daily

BNI, National Security Face Shake-Up

The top echelon of Ghana’s security services set-up is supposed to be affected courtesy the resolve of President John Mahama to restructure key sectors in a bid to build on a Better Ghana.

Though there is intense lobbying by current security chiefs to be retained in their current positions, signals picked by Ghana Daily point to the lurking phenomenon that National Security Coordinator Col (rtd) Larry Gbevlo Lartey may be heading to an ambassadorial establishment.

Sources maintained as at press time yesterday that unless the President decides otherwise, the position of National Security Coordinator will be occupied by current Director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) Mr Yaw Donkor. Mr Donkor, whose photograph journalists have struggled to get without any success is reputed by many security elements as a “dreaded but cool-head master of intelligence gathering and execution.”

They were of the view that his presence at the helm of National Security affairs will bring some rebranding and vibrancy to the spy outfit.

“I know he will cut down a lot of dormancy and waste,” one security guru said of Mr Donkor.

With the likely movement of Mr Donkor, his position according to sources will be assumed by his current Deputy Director, Mr John Dogbwa.

He is highly tipped to succeed his boss having been in that establishment for a long time and getting acquainted with the rubrics and supervising the execution of undercover work and high level crime investigation.

Sources hinted this paper that Deputy Director in charge of Operations at National Security Mr Kosivi Degbor may retire from the service or be elevated to an ambassadorial outfit to project and safeguard Ghana’s image. It is not immediately clear who will replace Mr Degbor, who has served in that capacity for most of his adult life. Touching on the position of the Inspector General of Police, the security sources say that outfit seem a little calmer though there are some radicals calling for a change. The radical elements, according to sources cite the near retirement age of current IGP Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye.

This paper learnt that current Director of Administration at the Police Headquarters, Mrs Rose Atinga Bio, whose name was bandied about in the media a few weeks ago is highly favoured in the corridors of power to be next IGP. Sources say her robustness will be brought to bear on policing should she take over the job of IGP.

Ghana Daily was also hinted that the Ghana Immigration Service and the Fire Service are on the watchful cards on the President for a possible shake-up.

More anon.