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A Deputy General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference of politicising the Ghana Government's decision to host two former inmates of the maximum security Guantanamo Bay detention centre.

Koku Anyidoho is questioning why some religious bodies are up in arms against government’s decision to accept the two Yemeni citizens when government has stated that they pose no threat to the country.

The presence of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby has created fear in the hearts of some Ghanaians, with religious bodies including the Christian Council of Ghana and the Catholic Bishops Conference urging the John Mahama administration to send them back.

But government has been resolute in defence of the decision. Foreign Minister Hanna Tetteh, who issued a statement announcing their arrival, said the two were only "footsoldiers" of Al-qaeda and posed no potential risk to Ghana.

A few days later, President John Mahama told journalists that the ex-detainees are "low risk" individuals and did not undertake any direct operational activities with Al-qaeda.

According to President Mahama, they were captured and unjustifiably detained for 14 years and it was important that Ghanaians show Christian compassion by offering them a place to restart their lives.

"I am compassionate. In the bible it teaches us to be compassionate. To what use will Christianity be without showing compassion to the people who need help most,” the president said.

But, while agreeing with President John Mahama's call for Ghanaians to show compassion to prisoners, the head of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Rev Joseph Osei Bonsu argues that such compassion must be balanced with common sense.

This comment has not gone down well with Mr. Anyidoho and on radio Thursday, he called on the bishops to rather remove their cassocks and join politicians in carrying out their political activities.

“I know these Bishops to be full of common sense but when they see and hear anything that has to do with the President, then they leave their common sense and start to complain.“They should watch it and stop those trivial issues they are coming up with because I know they are just doing politics with it” he asserted.