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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) suspects persons in government are snooping on private conversations involving the flagbearer of the Party Nana Akufo-Addo as well as key members of the party.

The party in a statement described utterances by some government officials as “frightening and terrifying” and called on the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) to investigate some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) whose comments imply that the privacy of some persons in the party [NPP] has been invaded.

Communications Director of the party Nana Akomea, said the situation is worrying and must not be left unaddressed.

He said “these are serious issues that should engage the attention of every Ghanaian. We call on the BNI, and other security agencies to investigate these claims by NDC Officials that imply invasion of the privacy and hence security of the Ghanaian citizenry”.

Read full statement

In recent weeks many Ghanaians have expressed worry about the security of their privacy, which is a fundamental human right. These fears have arisen as a result of some government actions and proposed actions in the telecom sector.

These fears were heightened when, a couple of weeks ago, a government communications officer, Mr. Sam George declared on Radio Gold that the emails of Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko will be published. This announcement gave the ominous indication that government was snooping on the emails of Ghanaian citizens. Just yesterday, 24th February, 2015, a Deputy Communications Officer of the ruling NDC, Mr. Fred Agbenyo, also declared on national radio (Adom FM) that government has access to “even the bedroom of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo”, the Flagbearer of the NPP. He went on to say that the NDC has spies all over the country.

These pronouncements are frightening and terrifying indeed in their implications. Is the privacy of the Ghanaian citizenry being breached by their own government? Is government investing taxpayers’ monies to procure spying equipment that can allow the government to breach citizens’ privacy? Are taxpayers monies that should go into capitation grant, school feeding, health insurance, maternal care, provision of electricity, etc. being diverted into spying equipment? In addition to worrying about ‘dumsor dumsor’, high cost of living, deterioration in health care due to nonpayment of health insurance, intractable unemployment, cholera, etc, poor Ghanaian citizens now have to worry about breach of their privacy by government.

These are serious issues that should engage the attention of every Ghanaian. We call on the BNI, and other security agencies to investigate these claims by NDC Officials that imply invasion of the privacy and hence security of the Ghanaian citizenry.