*For expansion of  media freedom  in Ghana

Story: Reuben SACKEY

Ghanaians have been advised to be highly observant and report suspicious persons and activities to the security agencies.

The Deputy National Security Coordinator, Edward Kwaku Asomani, at a media briefing in Accra yesterday said the country was not insulated from terrorist attacks, particularly given recent events in Togo where 10 soldiers were killed.

“They don’t come in with armoured personnel carriers and fighter jets. They come in forms – it could be the pastor in the church, the cleric in the mosque, or individuals coming in as CSOs purporting to be doing community work. That means that we all have to be vigilant,” he said.

Mr Asomani added, in line with efforts to create public awareness and sensitize the citizenry, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will launch a national campaign dubbed “See something, Say Something” with the number 999.

“All the police handles – Twitter, Facebook – will be activated. When you ring, you don’t have to identify yourself because we have some individuals who are worried about identifying themselves when they are giving information,” he emphasized.

Also, as part of measures to avert the terrorist threats to the country, the National Chairman of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Nana Ofori Owusu advocated media freedom.

According to him, curtailing people’s freedom of expression, especially the media, could potentially fuel terrorist attacks on the nation explaining that when people are gagged, they rely on other means to voice their concerns.

Nana Ofori Owusu called on government to allow the media and the citizens to freely speak their minds without fear of intimidation.

“We need to make sure that we increase media freedoms; the ability for people to speak their minds against government. They should have that right. When you do that, it minimizes people’s propensity to want to be extreme, to want to enjoin extreme groups,“ he said on Peace FM which was monitored by Today.

“We must spend the time and attention must be dedicated to preventing violent extremism and importation of terrorism into the country,” he further advised.