Mr. James Abdulai Ayaala Deputy Regional Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has called on the youth to learn lessons from Terrorist attacks on Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and protect Ghana by reporting all questionable characters to security agencies.
He said violent extremists had organized such attacks and it was important civilians assisted the security on criminal issues by forming neigbourhood watchdog committees.
Mr. Ayaala made the call during a day’s youth engagement workshop organized by NCCE at Yendi in the Northern Region.
He said the workshop was aimed at equipping the youth with relevant information on violent extremism and radicalization guard against recruitment to perpetuate violence.
Mr.Osuman Kassim, Yendi Municipal NCCE said the porous nature of the country’s borders had facilitated drug trafficking, arms trafficking, trafficking of persons and goods and reminded them that threats of violent extremism, particularly in the West African sub-region posed threats to Ghana`s democratic governance, social cohesion and peaceful co-existence.
He expressed appreciation to European Union (EU) for supporting NCCE over the years and also supporting the current programmes NCCE was undertaking to prevent Electoral violence and other crimes
Chief Superintendent Richardson Kumeko, the Yendi Divisional Police Commander said preventing violent extremism in Ghana rested on all Ghanaians and not the security alone as civilians could volunteer information on criminals to the police.
He said one of the duties of the police was to ensure that there was peace everywhere and reminded them that nobody was above the law.
Bishop Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai Catholic Bishop of Yendi Diocese urged Ghanaians to be security consciousBishop Boi-Nai by putting in measures to ensure that the borders of the country were tightened.
He said Tatale-Togo border, saboba Togo-border, Chereponi Togo-border all within the Eastern Corridor were vulnerable and appealed to chiefs and their people living within those borders to be vigilant checkpoints.
He also appealed to the government to provide the youth within the borders and Yendi with tractors to join in the Government’s planting for Food and Jobs programme to avoid their recruitment into those criminal groups.
GNA