The National Security Coordinator, DCOP Osman Abdul Razak, has declared the government’s firm commitment to addressing the Nkwanta crisis, promising to take ruthless action against all criminal activities contributing to the unrest.
Tensions remain high in Nkwanta, in the Oti Region, following last week’s violent clashes, which claimed the lives of three individuals and left many others severely injured.
During a visit to Nkwanta on 21st January 20205, DCOP Osman Abdul Razak highlighted the challenges posed by chieftaincy and land disputes in recent weeks, describing them as significant sources of trouble for the government.
He acknowledged that the security agencies alone have struggled to control the situation effectively.
“I want to say that, just these couple of weeks, chieftaincy and land disputes have given us a lot of troubles and the security on individual basis will not be able to control it.”
DCOP Osman Abdul Razak classified the acts of killing people and breaking into homes as criminal activities rather than mere disputes.
He affirmed the government’s resolve to deal with such issues ruthlessly, stating that this approach would be necessary to maintain order.
“And so this particular era, we are looking for specialized form of cooperation between the various security agencies. We must work and not discriminate in every respective of our work because if we want to do that we will not be able to do our work”
“Now I’m looking more to see pro-activeness in a way in which we fight this sort of dispute, I wouldn’t call this one dispute because this is outright crime, shooting into security vehicles, private vehicles or even going into houses of people to kill them, this is absolute crime and this one, we must deal with it and we must deal with it ruthlessly”
DCOP Osman Abdul Razak issued a word of caution to the people of Nkwanta, advising them to resolve chieftaincy disputes through the appropriate channels so that the government can offer peaceful support.
However, he warned that if violence continues to harm innocent citizens, the security agencies will not stand by idly.
He further assured the people that those who fail to comply with security measures would face direct action, stating that he was prepared to go into the trenches with them if necessary.
DCOP Osman Abdul Razak sternly warned: “If there are chieftaincy issues, I advise you to take the correct channels so the government can support you peacefully. But if you resort to violence that harms ordinary citizens, we will not stand aloof.”
