Ghana's security situation 'worrying' - Jessica Opare Saforo

Several days after news broke that six (6) gunmen have killed at least sixteen (16) people at the Grand Bassam beach town in neighboring Ivory Coast, Jessica Opare-Saforo, co-host of Ghana’s number one celebrity and lifestyle show, Celebrity FanZone, has added her voice to the millions of Ghanaians calling on the State to do more to boost security in the country.

The North Africa branch of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack which took place last week Sunday. Bloody bodies were sprawled on the beach and witnesses described horrific scenes as Ivory Coast was shattered by West Africa’s latest terrorist attack.

Not long ago, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for a similar attack in neighboring Burkina Faso killing twenty-nine (29) and injuring over fifty (50) people at a luxury hotel.

The AQIM group in their statement published photographs of three men wearing military uniforms and holding guns, purported to have been responsible for the attacks.

It also described the hotel as “one of the most dangerous dens of global espionage on the West African Continent.”

Jessica, who is also a radio presenter at Citi FM in Accra, expressed her worry and doubts over whether our security agencies are really in a position to deal with such a threat to the nation.

She stated last Saturday during the show, “I do not know how prepared we are or how quickly we could respond in the event that there is a terrorist attack. A country like America and France even sometimes almost never know it until it is done.

I'm not sure what kind of intelligence our security agencies have. It makes me get worried. We hope and pray that we do not experience such attacks in Ghana.”

Despite several assurances by the government, it seems a lot of people are still worried about recent developments and are beginning to take seriously the possibility that Ghana could be a target by these militants in future.

So far, major hotels in the country have taken certain security measures in their attempt to foil any potential attack within their perimeters including mandatory vehicular checks.

Do you live in Ghana? How serious do you take the threat of a possible terrorist attack on your country? Do you think the government is doing enough to protect her citizens?