Politics

CDD: Infiltration of security agencies by vigilantes raises concern

The Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD-Ghana) has raised concerns about vigilante groups taken over security agencies in the country due to politicisation of the agencies.

The development, according to the Think Tank, is of great concern particularly as the country prepares for the 2020 general elections and maintained that the endorsement of vigilantes by political actors also posed a huge threat to next year’s election.

Even though the National Peace Council, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have developed a framework aimed at ending the menace Parliament has passed a law criminalising the act.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion on ‘The nation’s current security challenges’ under the auspices of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Paul Abrampah, a Senior Programmes Officer,  CDD-Ghana, expressed worry about the situation which could derail the fragile democratic dispensation of the country and called for decisive actions in dealing with vigilantism.

The fear for the citizenry is not the fact that we are having increasing vigilantes in the country but the fact that our security agencies will be invaded by these vigilante groups through politicisation of our security, we are also in fear that over the years we’ve not had consistency in dealing with issues of vigilantism,” he warned.

The issue of political vigilantism became a major subject for national discussion following the violence witnessed during the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency by-election in the Greater Accra Region on January 31, 2019.

 Dr Kwesi Aning, a security analyst, who has major several public comments on the matter, also expressed worry about the infiltration of members of some vigilante groups within the security agencies and revealed that ” as many as 24 vigilante groups can be found in the country and violence is a profitable venture heading towards the 2020 general election,” and listed them before the Justice Emile Short Commission of Inquiry into the disturbances when he appeared before it. -citinewsroom.com

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