Ghana is not safe under Akufo-Addo – Kofi Adams

The National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams, says he does not feel safe in the country in the wake of rampant robbery attacks on citizens.

Mr Adams, in an interview with host of the Morning Xpress, Kofi Oppong Asamoah, on Radio XYZ 93.1MHZ on Wednesday, observed that he feels many Ghanaians, like him, do not feel secure under the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo, whom he described as not on top of his game in terms of securing the country.

Mr Adams, reacting to the rise of robbery in the country, majority of which are demonstrated under daylight, noted that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has failed woefully in protecting the country’s citizens despite the appointment of many officials to head the security sector.

“You’re supposed to protect us,” he said. “When you charge somebody and the person is not doing it, what do you do?”

“Yesterday, (there was a) day light robbery and you think that they (Ghanaians) are feeling safe? The police persons who have been gunned down, I hear about 12 or so police persons that have been killed within 2 months.This is the record,” he said.

To him, those in charge of the country’s security, including the IGP, must be sacked yet the president is keeping them while Ghanaians feel unsafe.

“Security has just completely broken down, and the president must be up. He and his commanders. I don’t take salutes from those people so I’m not the one to go and charge the police or the security people as to what to do. He’s the commander in chief. . . I can’t question the IGP. He is the President and he’s the one I will question. The President appointed the IGP that’s why I’m taking on him,” he said while urging the president to be serious about protecting the country.

He said it was only under the Akufo-Addo led administration that there are many appointees in charge of security yet Ghanaians are being gripped in fear for incessant attacks on them.

“We have the Minister for Defence and his deputies, We have Minister for Interior and his deputies, We have Minister for National security and his deputy, We have Minister of State at the presidency for National Security, We have of course the normal IGP and then the deputies, the Chief of Defence Staff and so on, the Director of Security at the Presidency and all those komininis. We have all these but still we have National Security Advisor and National Security Coordinator but look at the situation we find ourselves in everyday. Security has just completely broken down.”



To this end, the NDC Organiser said issues of security have not been handled well which has become “a major concern” saying “I don’t feel secure in this country. I don’t feel secure at all.”

To him the security lapses, including vigilantism that have rocked the governance of the NPP government means the country under President Akufo-Addo is not committed to fighting crime.

The Cases

Mr Adams’ comments follow numerous cases of robbery in the country with the major ones being recorded in the Greater Accra Region.

For instance, residents of Frafraha, Malejo, Greenfield Station and Apolonia in the Kpone-Katamanso District and Adentan Municipality, have said they are living in fear due to the increasing number of robbery attacks that have resulted in the death of about two people within February 2018 alone.

According to a Daily Graphic report on Monday,February 27, 2018, as many as 16 robbery cases have been recorded in these areas within February this year.

Regardless the fear in the residents after two people were attacked and killed, the police in the area say they are not fully equipped to tackle the menace effectively due to logistical constraints.

The Oyibi District Police Commander, Superintendent Suzanna Adjei, who confirmed this to journalists, noted although they have about forty (40) police personnel they don’t have vehicles to aid in their patrol duties.

On Tuesday, February 27,2018, two daylight robbery were recorded in the national capital, Accra.

About 10 armed men stormed Royal Motors, an automobile company in Accra, and away with about 8,000 cedis of the company’s sales in a stunning daylight robbery.

Another case was recorded at Melcom Plus at the North Industrial Area, after a pair of armed robbers attempted robbing some shops there in broad daylight. They were, however, arrested by the police

Source: XYZ