- May 8, 2023
- Posted by: Admin
- Categories: News, Security
The Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has called on managements of hotels in the Region to be more vigilant to identify any potential terrorists attack from terrorists.
Chairman of REGSEC, Hon. Stephen Yakubu who made the appeal in an address delivered on his behalf, by Alhaji Inusah Abubakari, the Regional Coordinating Director, stressed that security issues must be taken seriously among both hoteliers and residents owing to the Region’s proximity to neighbouring Burkina Faso where extremists activities were rife.
The address was delivered at a Nationwide Sensitization Workshop on ECOWAS Protocols, Border Security and Terrorism at Paga in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Region.
The REGSEC Chair outlined some measures to curb any possible infiltration of Jihadists into the country and one of such measures was vigorous sensitization of border communities on the “See something, Say Something” campaign.
The Chair, who is also the Regional Minister, said the campaign led to the arrest of two suspected individuals allegedly linked to Jihadists in a hotel in Bolgatanga last year.
He said the workshop was timely, and a clear testimony that the fight against terrorism was a national exercise, and REGSEC would not leave any stone unturned in its mandate to ensure maximum security, and urged residents to report any suspicious character in their vicinity to the security agencies for prompt action.
The Minister also appealed to feuding factions in the Bawku conflict to lay down their arms and resort to dialogue.
He said the conflict had great potential for extremists to take advantage and infiltrate the country, and further reminded residents that insecurity in any part of the region could affect the entire development agenda of the region and emphasised the need to maintain peace and security.
He commended the Chiefs and people of Doba and Kandiga for their tireless efforts in resolving the communal conflict peacefully, and urged others, especially the people of Bawku to emulate their example.
Mrs. Perpetual Dufu, the Coordinating Director and International Organizations Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, in an address on behalf of the sector Minister, Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, said even though ECOWAS protocols promoted free movement among member States, the Region needed to be vigilant.
She said ECOWAS had adopted a new vision for 2050 to serve as the catalyst for creativity, innovation and to ensure citizens lived peacefully for accelerated development.
