Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has vented his frustration over growing allegations that security officers trained to protect the state are actively colluding with criminal syndicates.
Addressing a public forum, the Minister revealed that officers who underwent rigorous background checks and screening to hold sensitive national security positions are selling out for personal gain.
“It’s sad that even the recent things that we are hearing… you hear it is insiders who are aiding and abetting criminals,” he said.
He noted: “If I’m supposed to be in charge of keying figures into a computer, I’ve been trained, my background checks… they are here before you are taken to do certain roles… and trusted with that position, now you sit and when you are comfortable you are trading with that position.”
Alhaji Muntaka warned that unless personnel turn a new leaf, no amount of reform can fix the country’s security vulnerabilities.
“And if we don’t change this attitude, there is no way we are going to get angels coming from the sky to come and solve this problem for us,” he cautioned.
Foreign partners doubting intelligence sharing
The Minister further disclosed that Ghana’s international intelligence partners are growing reluctant to share crucial information for fear of leaks.
“Now our counterparts abroad are even beginning to doubt whether to give us information… because they trade it to an insider… they don’t know whether the insider, the minister is also part of it… They are doubting whether they should give you the information, will the information be secured or it will also be abused,” he explained.
He referenced the recent interception of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a plastic waste container shipped from Ghana to Dunkirk, France, along with stalled joint operations involving Australian and French authorities.
“So the situation that we have with the Australians… they are dragging their feet. Now we have one with France, the same. I’m meeting the French ambassador today. Why are they not trying to cooperate? Well, when they feel that it is our own personnel who are aiding,” he said.
Stop politicising crime
Alhaji Muntaka also slammed the persistent habit of assigning political colours to law enforcement operations, stressing that partisan interference shields wrongdoers.
“When you go in to arrest someone then they begin, oh because I’m NPP or because I’m NDC, we try to politicize even the security services,” he said.
He called for immediate, seamless collaboration among all domestic security agencies to restore public trust and protect national integrity.
Source: rainbowradioonline.com
