Fraud and security consultant, Richard Kumadoe, has described government’s approach to dealing with the Bawku insecurity as a lazy approach.
According to him, imposing curfew on the township and banning people from wearing smock are just mild security measures.
His comments follow a ban on smock wearing in Bawku and a subsequent curfew imposed on the township and its adjoining communities due to threats of insecurity.
The interior minister, Ambrose Dery, imposed a 4pm to 6am curfew on the town and surrounding communities upon advice from the Regional Security Council (REGSEC).
Also, the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, issued a statement to ban wearing of smock as a measure to prevent people from hiding offensive weapons in them.
But speaking on the Anopa Bofoↄ breakfast show on Thursday, November 25, Richard Kumadoe stressed the need for a more resolute and permanent solution to the civil unrest within Bawku and its environs.
Taking the leeway is not a sustainable measure, he told Kofi Adoma Nwanwani.
The security consultant emphasized the need for authorities to identify the root cause of the insecurity and deal with the problems permanently.
Outlining further measures to resolve the security threats, he urged authorities to engage the people on the subject matter and also try to figure out the immediate cause(s) for effective resolution.
He added that instead of preventing people from wearing smock, the security personnel should focus on finding out where the people get the weapons from to block the inflow of the weapons.
Where did the people get the weapons from and are the guns they wield licensed, he questioned further.
Another security analyst, Irbard Ibrahim, supported Mr. Kumadoe’s stance saying that people could easily conceal weapons in other clothes despite the ban on wearing smock.
Mr. Ibrahim described the decision to ban the wearing of smock in Bawku in the Upper East region following the threat of insecurity in the area as ‘inconsequential’.
Meanwhile, a resident in Bawku who phoned into the Anopa Bofo show, complained that the curfew is impacting them negatively.
Schools were closed yesterday and food vendors have been affected, he lamented.
On his part, the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu has called on residents within the Bawku enclave to remain calm and live in peace.
