The rampancy of armed robbery in Ghana is putting many people’s lives in danger. The propensity to commit armed robbery by these generational jobless criminals, who audaciously strike at anytime anywhere and on whomever, has become a great cause of frightening concern to many a Ghanaian.

A government has it as its basic responsibility to ensure first and foremost, the safety and security of its citizens against external aggression and internal upheavals. Any government that fails on this basic provision/requirement is not fit for purpose. It should not be allowed to continue to govern the country.

At the moment, armed robbers abundant in Ghana. They operate at any time of the day. They raid people’s homes. They attack people on our roads and rob them at gun point of their valuables and money. They maim and kill some of their victims.

One cannot predict when and where they will strike.

One thing that baffles me is how they have targeted the prominent members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Not long ago, they killed J. B. Danquah, an MP. Then they attacked and robbed Hon. Dan Botchwey, the Campaign Strategist of NPP. Just last Saturday night, 11th June 2016, they have attacked Mr Alan Kyeremateng, former presidential hopeful of the opposition New Patriotic Party at gun point.

Why have these vermin, outrageous criminals and murderers, been singling out NPP personalities for attack? I know they have been targeting several people across the country, one wonders why most of their victims are NPP faithful.

I do not want them to attack anyone irrespective of their political persuasions, nonetheless, one will curiously quickly query why most of their recent victims are NPP members?

Have we not recently had instances where the police acting criminally, or armed robbers impersonating the police, have raided the headquarters of NPP in Accra? In all these situations, nobody was caught let alone, being arraigned on charges of executing armed robbery. Is there then any wonder that some hardened criminals have targeted them?

I do not understand why the government has not channelled enough resources into fighting to eliminate the near chronic armed robbery from Ghana but rather choose to stay ineffective while these dastardly criminals carry out their trade without the least fear or favour.

Some people may be tempted to conclude that the spate of armed robberies as are currently visibly taking place in Ghana fits well into the government’s grand design to cow Ghanaians to pave the way for her to rig election 2016. I am not sure that is a befitting presumption. But why is the government not acting decisively to exterminate the cancerous armed robbery from Ghana?

Is the government that weak when it comes to fighting corruption and armed robbery but only strong when it comes to stealing the country’s money, and practising nepotism, tribalism and paying radio phone-in serial callers to insult or throw dust into people’s eyes?

I hope President Mahama and his government will avail themselves of my overflowing fountain of wisdom.

I shall suggest to him to bring out almost all of the soldiers to carry out operation flush out the armed robbers. Put the soldiers on our roads, in our towns and cities for their presence to be felt by the armed robbers. If they should come out for three months, the armed robbery will be curtailed if not eliminated completely.

As Ghana is a civilian country, but not a military one, the soldiers must go out with the police. For, say, a group of two or three army (soldiers) personnel, there must be one policeman from whom the soldiers will take instructions.

It has happened many times in France when the need arose to guarantee public safety and security in the face of terrorists carrying out terror activities in the country. Once they do that, within weeks, the terror activity will have been removed for life to return to normalcy.
When the situation becomes normal, the soldiers return to their barracks.

To be the president of a nation is not all about embezzling funds but to guarantee the fundamental human rights of the citizens of the country. It is not all about that empty nonsensical political campaign slogan, “Ede bii keke”. It is all about proper governance.

For the president’s failure to fight the armed robbery, but leaving it to ramify, taking roots throughout the nation, he is a GONER!


Rockson Adofo