Ghana tightens security at its borders

Ghana is tightening security at its entry points and other key public establishments against any eventualities, following the deadly terrorist attacks in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou, last Friday.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Interior Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, said the border points, especially in the northern parts, and the airports had been marked for intensive security measures.

Given the horror of extremists’ activities in West Africa, especially, the one coming so close to Ghana, the minister said: “We need to tighten security because what happened in Burkina Faso is an indication that all countries in the sub-region are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.”

He, however, explained that the extra security measures were in no way linked to the presence of the two Guantanamo Bay ex-detainees in Ghana.

Last Friday, Islamic militants seized the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, which is popular with foreigners, killing 28 and injuring 56 from about 18 countries.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said it carried out the siege.

The attack was seen as signalling the upsurge in Islamic extremism in West Africa.

Vulnerability
Ghana has a long porous border with its northern neighbour, Burkina Faso.

The official crossing points are at Paga and Hamile, which are bustling areas full of economic activities.

The border with the western neighbour, Cote d’Ivoire, also has Elubo, Osei Kwadwokrom and Gonokrom as the main entry points, while the border with Togo has Aflao Border Post as the official entry point.

Preventive measures
The minister said stringent scrutiny would be conducted on persons entering the country, especially from its northern border.

“Besides, patrols are being intensified along the borders to ward off any persons with evil intentions,” he said.

Mr Woyongo further stressed the need for information sharing between Ghana and its neighbours as a major weapon in the fight against extremists.

“There is the need for information sharing. We need maximum co-operation from our neighbours, especially in the area of intelligence,” he said.

He said the police were placing much prominence on intelligence to secure more information on movements to and from the country.

In the other regional capitals, the police were undertaking similar exercises, he said.

He urged the people not to hesitate to report people with questionable movements to the security agencies.

In public places in the country, Mr Woyongo said the police would be deployed to hotels, churches, mosques, shopping malls, and higher educational institutions as a preventive measure.

With regard to the airports, especially the Kotoka International Airport, he said, the existing stringent checks would be boosted.

Government condemns attacks
Meanwhile, the government has strongly condemned the terrorist attacks that took place in Ouagadougou.

A statement signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional integration, Ms Hanna S. Tetteh, said, “We offer our heartfelt condolences to President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, the relatives of the deceased victims and the government and people of Burkina Faso.

“We stand with our sister country of Burkina Faso in this difficult time and are ready to enhance our cooperation and work together to see an end to this terrorist threat. We commit ourselves to work with the countries within our ECOWAS region to ensure that our citizens can live in peace and security.”