Election Watch Ghana has asserted that maintaining state security remains the core responsibility of the government, not vigilante groups.
The non-governmental organisation posited that the implementation of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), remains a major challenge with severe implications for national security and democratic governance.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Convenor for the group, Mark Ewusi, stated that despite the passage of the law to eradicate vigilante activities, the nation continues to grapple with the menace, particularly within politics and governance.
“The Act still exists, however, implementation has become a problem. It has become a problem because the members of these vigilantism groups are recruited by the politicians themselves. We need the political will to fight the canker, and we also need to upgrade our institutions to be able to fight vigilantism,” he stated.
He further noted that the Ghana Police Service and other state security agencies have been unable to deal decisively with offenders due to persistent political interference.
According to Mr Ewusi, public engagements on the issue revealed that members of these groups have become increasingly sophisticated, with some even using encrypted messaging platforms to coordinate their activities.
He maintained: “Security remains the responsibility of the state and not any individual, any political party, or any group. Let’s allow the state to do its work.”
He called for collective responsibility—especially from politicians—to implement existing laws and tackle lawlessness with total fairness.
“Let’s allow the security agencies to work and be fair, and avoid interfering with their work. We must deal with lawless people regardless of their political affiliation. We should also call out the politicians who demand tmhe release of offenders when they breach the law,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana