The more I listen to discussions or read comments about the alleged cocaine and cash transport into Ghana, the more convinced I am that we are either dangerously naive or painfully unexposed as a people.
There are those who pretend not to know better, offering blind defenses out of political loyalty. Others are simply wide-eyed and genuinely naive. And then there are those who are, quite frankly, just plain stupid.
Whatโs even more disappointing is seeing the posturing of people who should know better. From seasoned journalists like Samson Lardy to many so-called educated voices, itโs shocking to see them exhibit such naรฏve posturing.
Why am I saying this?
Even in the most secure airports and border posts around the world, operating under constant high alert, equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and highly trained personnel, drug traffickers still succeed. They use sophisticated, creative methods that outsmart even the best systems.
I recently watched a documentary about an American who successfully smuggled cocaine from Australia to the U.S. using everything from chocolate bars to vodka. He dissolved the cocaine in crates of vodka, shipped it, and distilled it back into powder once it arrived. Iโve seen other cases where drugs were hidden in food, false compartments, spare parts, and other unimaginable ways.
The Presidentโs initial responseโcalling for investigations was the right one. Then, out of the blue, the government unleashed its attack dogs, claiming the call for investigations was merely a faรงade meant to scapegoat the whistleblower.
The information provided by the governmentโs spokesperson clearly showed they lacked the RIGHT INTELLIGENCE โ they EVEN GOT PUBLICLY VERIFIABLE FLIGHT DATA WRONG! How then can they be sure that suspicious flights carried no illicit cargo?
And are we to assume that Ghanaโs borders are more secure than those of the United States? In 2024 alone, over $25 billion worth of illegal drugs was smuggled into the U.S. despite their advanced equipment, experienced border patrols, and better-paid officers. If even they struggle to keep drugs out, how much more Ghanaโs under-resourced, over-stretched, and often poorly-paid security personnel? How much more in a relatively poor country like Ghana, where a few dollars can make people look the other way?
On April 17, someone using insider help and knowledge of Torontoโs Pearson Airport cargo system simply drove into the cargo section and made off with gold and money worth over CAD$20 million!
Yes, systems can always be beaten!
How much more in an airport that experiences dumsor? One government spokesperson even claimed the airportโs CCTV doesnโt cover the tarmac. Can you imagine?
I was in Ghana recently and left on March 20. On that day, the scene at the airport was nothing short of chaotic. There was almost a stampede at immigration because only one gate was opened; the rest, I believe, were malfunctioning. Now, if such a key national security facility was operating under those conditions, and if thereโs intelligence suggesting suspicious flights were using that very same airport, how can anyone, in good conscience, simply dismiss these allegations?
And yet, instead of asking hard questions or demanding accountability, we had government spokespeople, including people I expect to be sophisticated resorting to name-calling, even labeling the whistleblower a โclownโ and โOsofo Moko.โ A juvenile and embarrassing response, to say the least.
Worse still, rather than holding the government accountable, many journalists sat in interviews lobbing soft questions at government representatives, while aggressively grilling the whistleblowerโliterally asking him to produce the cocaine, as if their only mission was to launder the governmentโs denials. One canโt help but wonder: are they simply uninformed, naive, plain stupidโor have they been paid off?
Letโs be clear: even if the flights carried passengersโincluding sick onesโand even if thereโs a video to that effect, it still doesnโt rule out the possibility of illicit cargo. Even human bodies can be used to smuggle drugs. Hidden compartments can be built into aircrafts.
So, are we naiveโor just stupid?
The most logical, common-sense approach would have been to take the Presidentโs statement seriously, adopt a sober stance, halt all spin, and conduct a serious bipartisan investigation to unravel the suspicious circumstances.
Any intelligent or well-meaning Ghanaian should have called for an independent, bipartisan investigation the moment these allegations surfaced. Instead, weโve watched the narrative get twisted to the point where it almost seems like the drug barons paid our security agencies to go after the truth-tellers.
Worse still, masked, armed men were sent to raid the home of a sitting Member of Parliamentโthe whistleblower. If an MP can be treated this way, what hope does the average Ghanaian have? The more I think about this, the scarier it becomes.
This approach doesnโt just silence dissentโit actively creates fertile ground for corruption, criminality, and state-sponsored cover-ups.
Letโs not allow naivety, political tribalism, or willful ignorance to blind us. Or simply putโ
Letโs not be stupid.
We deserve an independent investigation.
