Police in Ghana’s capital Accra have arrested some individuals in possession of grenades with one of the suspects said to be a member of Jihadist militant group in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Local news portal StarrFMonline.com reported that police in Accra are holding the suspects in custody as they investigate the issue with the support of the military.
The news portal also published pictures of the suspects and the grenades they were holing during their arrest in a community called Odorkor.
Ghana, considered a peaceful nation in Africa was last year warned of potential threat to its stability due to the activities of vigilante groups and private security firms.
Police in Ghana intercept explosives in Accra. @theafricafeeds @estherarmah @AbenaNyamekyeO pic.twitter.com/EoKirKLO51
— Isaac Kaledzi (@IsaacKaledzi) January 15, 2018
According to a UN group that has studied the security situation in the West African nation there is a high influx of mercenaries and private security groups in Ghana beyond reasonable level.
Official figures in Ghana show that some 400 private groups in the country employ around 450,000 people whereas the country has a police force of only 33,000 officers.
The UN working group on mercenaries also said that an estimated 1.3m illegal weapons have been smuggled into Ghana with these weapons in the hands of vigilante groups and armed individuals.
One of the UN group officials Patricia Arias, said Ghana’s peace is under threat.
“We have seen many times how countries like Ghana, with rich natural resources and porous borders, can fall prey to mercenaries and mercenary-related activities when the security situation is undermined by violence – often at the hands of armed groups,” Arias added.
Source: Africafeeds.com
