Security Analyst Colonel Festus Aboagye (rtd) has warned galamseyers will also say if you recruit us into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF)they will stop illegal mining.
According to Colonel Festus Aboagye, the IGP must be careful not to make statements he cannot fulfil.
He noted that the IGP promise to Bawku youths set a bad precedent.
He asserted that galamseyers will also say if you recruit them into the army they will stop illegal mining which sets a bad precedent.
Speaking during an interview on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, Colonel Festus Aboagye stated, “I think the IGP spoke ahead of time, even if that was going to be one of the options, this is not the time to say that”.
“We must be careful not to make statements we cannot fulfil, it will set a bad precedent, and then the galamseyers will say if you recruit us into the army we will stop,” he added.
Colonel Aboagye’s concerns follow the IGP’s visit to Bawku on Friday, April 11, where IGP Yohuno stated, “When it comes to recruitment, we will give the people of Bawku priority. We will give the youth of Bawku priority, and so for that matter, a special team will come here to do special recruitment for the youth of Bawku”.
“I know how hardworking people from this area are. So we are pleading with you—just let us know where we are going wrong so we can quickly correct those things and make sure that you continue to work with our people diligently.
“Where, by mistake, we have done something wrong, forgive us. We won’t repeat those things again,” he added.
However, Christian Tetteh Yohuno the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has clarified his recent statement which suggested Bawku youths will be given priority in police recruitment if they lay down their arms.
The IGP has since come under a public backlash following the statement after a video of his interaction with residents went viral.
According to IGP Yohuno, his statement was targeted at decentralising the recruitment process to include remote and conflict-affected areas.
The IGP in his clarification stated, “Many times we have recruitment centralised at the national headquarters, and then we are not able to get the full benefit of a regional balance of people being recruited. I have seen that there is a desire to get the job done,” he said.
“I am giving them the assurance that they should put down their arms. We have a lot of people in the police service now who came from this area, and we realise that they have helped a lot in the discharge of their duties as officers.”
“The assurance we gave to them was that ‘put down your weapons, and when it comes to recruitment, we will give you the advantage to participate, go through the normal process.’ I didn’t say anything wider to maybe show the requirement, but it looks as if the media is reporting something different; they will go through the normal process,” he added.
