The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has allayed fears that terrorists could infiltrate Ghana due to the ongoing conflict in Bawku in the Upper East Region.
The legislator for the area doubted if Bawku will be a target for the operation of terrorist activities though Ghana’s borders seem porous.
There have been reported cases of terrorist activities in neighbouring countries, with some neighbours seeking refuge in Ghana.
Scores of people have lost their lives in the protracted conflict, with the latest being the shooting and killing of one person on Monday, February 6, 2023.
Asked by the host of The Point of View Bernard Avle, if terrorists will not capitalise on the prolonged conflict in Bawku between the Kusasis and Mamprusis to cause mayhem in Ghana, the legislator noted that Ghanaians will only rise up against the country when there are no opportunities to vindicate their rights.
“Bawku will not be the place where this will happen. People will turn against the state when they don’t have the remedies or opportunities to vindicate their rights. But if the state functions in such a way that everybody feels protected by the state, it’s most unlikely that they will turn against the state,” Mr. Ayariga said.
He believes that Ghana has a functioning democracy where citizens can always seek redress if they feel disgruntled and will not rebel against the country.
“I’m not worried in the case of Ghana because of the institutions and mechanisms we have put in place. Our democracy is functioning. No matter how disgruntled you are with this democracy, it is a functioning democracy, you can get remedies if you fight for it,” he stated.
He called on the government to ensure that the citizens do not have issues with the state as it’s observed in neighbouring countries.
“In Burkina Faso, those places that you saw the clustering of attacks, trust me people from Bawku drive across those places with trucks to Niger with onions, salt, and all sort of commodities. They drive through that territory, and if they stop you, and they found a national identity card or documents, some public documents that associate you with the state of Burkina Faso, you will be attacked. They might just kill you. They are attacking the state, they have issues with the state.”
“We shouldn’t create a situation where our populace will have issues with their state. When the people have issues with the state, and they don’t feel that the mechanisms within the state afford them a remedy, that is when the state becomes a legitimate target for them,” the MP for Bawku central said.
Mr. Ayariga who has accused the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) of killing some indigenes of Bawku has petitioned the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
The legislator rejected GAF’s explanation that they engaged a group of armed men and neutralised six.
“I reject their self-serving explanations. Did the statement say they retrieve any weapon from them? Clearly, these were not armed men,” Mr. Ayariga fumed.
