News:
August 28, 2015
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior has emphasized the need for the intelligence agencies to closely monitor all extremist and fundamental groups in the country.
According to the Chair of the Committee, Fritz Baffour, it is important that the activities and movement of such groups are critically observed to avert these scoundrels engaging in acts that could easily threaten the security of the state.
Ghanaians woke up to worrying news of Nazir Nortei Alema, a graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with a degree in Geography and Rural Development, joining the dreaded Islamic extremist group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
He is said to have begun his fateful trip to joining the terrorist group on 2nd August 2015, soon after his completion of the mandatory National Service in Ghana, which he undertook at the Statistical Service.
He reportedly sent a whatsapp message to the family indicating that he was on his way to Prestea from where he would proceed to Takoradi on an official assignment.
He later sent another message indicating that he had lied to the family and that the truth was that he was on his way to join the ISIS.
This prompted further investigations in the matter which revealed that there were potential ISIS recruits in Ghana who hold regular meetings at a specific house around Palm Wine Junction in Accra.
The meetings are said to often take place on Fridays and Wednesdays, but occasionally meet on weekends.
Mr Fritz Baffour told Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on kasapa 102.3 FM that he was not surprised by the development but was quick to add that the security agencies had the capacity to crush the springing up of such grouping in the country.
“We should be very vigilant, but I know there are strategies to combat this phenomenon. These groups are not mainly Islamic as many think; it will be unfair for anyone to think it’s a Moslem problem. We also have a lot Christian groups that are fundamentalists who are prone to violence and so we need to cast our searchlight wide to monitor very broadly. The Security agencies are aware of the existence of persons will call non state actors in destabilizing countries for their parochial interests”.
He further added that this issue has brought to the fore the need to find employment for the youth and have their future secured, adding that “if we continue to do things they way we are doing now, then we’ll be in trouble in the nearest future’ he noted.
Kwadwo Anim/GhanaMPs.gov.gh