Ghana, which used to be a haven of peace in West Africa, is now earning a bad name with the disturbing increase in activities of armed robbery and frequent car jacking including highway robbery hitherto unknown in the country.
The armed robbers, who used sophisticated weapons, have become so daring that they operate in broad day light, displaying total disregard for any law enforcement agencies and have currently set up a robber �training school� train other people to master their operations across the country.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, ACP Augustine Gyaning, who made this disclosure on Accra-based radio station last week, said the police in Tema have mounted a serious search for an ex-convict, who is suspected to be the brain behind the establishment of the �training school� where young boys are trained in armed robbery at nearby Ashaiman.
The ex-convict, whose name he gave as Ali, according to him, was granted amnesty last year by President John Agyekum Kufuor�s administration, saying that reliable information available to the police indicates that some 22 young robbers currently in police custody were �graduates� from the training school.
ACP Gyaning added that Sakaratu Muniru, 23, who is said to be one of the trainees and second-in-command of the �academy�, has been arrested. Describing him as a person who is a law to himself, the Police Commander said, he had often issued death threats to some police officers including the District Police Commander at Ashaiman, adding that he has been terrorizing residents and �he puts so much fear into the people that they are afraid to talk about it.�
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, aka General Mosquito, has charged the security apparatus in the country to kill any armed robber who will take the law into his own hands and engage in a gun battle with them, stressing that the government is solidly supporting them.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia, who has been honoured as Nkosuohene at Gaka, contained that the country could not afford to entertain such miscreants who act under the influence of hard drugs and use sophisticated weapons to rob the society, which impedes investors in the country.
He reiterated that drug peddling in a country like Ghana is a recipe for disaster, if cogent measures are not put in place to curb this immediately, adding that it would breed a lot of social vices in the country in the nearest future.
He also cautioned drivers to be mindful that passengers� lives are entrusted into their hands and since most roads linking the cities are of good condition, whenever any accident occurs drivers must be checked mentally to know whether such drivers are in the right state of mind or they have taken any hard liquor or any kind of illegal drugs so that they will be dealt with.
Mr Asiedu Nketia, who was speaking at the durbar organised by the Chiefs and people of Goka traditional Area in honour of the Member of Parliament and the Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Hon. Alexander Asuma Ahensa, promised the people that government would do everything ossible to let them have their fair share of the national cake.
The General Secretary urged NDC supporters that it is the moment to take a bitter pill because the decision of the NDC government to move from the current economic crunch has become the necessary evil that government needs to do which will undermine certain policies, adding that they need to face the current economic woes squarely to be able to meet the �Better Ghana Agenda�.
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