Don’t let Barker-Vormawor distract you – Police warned

Fraud and Security Consultant, Richard Kumadoe, has expressed concern over Ghana’s worst security fears coming true if the Ghana Police Service refuses to focus on things that matter.

He argues the Police is making Barker-Vormawor seem too important “and if care is not taken he will keep distracting them and the element of surprise will take them by an inch.”

Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor in a social media post called on Ghanaians to overthrow Ghana’s democracy, saying he will lead the charge if the army fails to. This led to his arrest and subsequent release. On his way to court for a hearing for what is considered treasonous comments, Barker-Vormawor was again arrested for reckless driving.

After his arrest, the British High Commissioner tweeted; “Oliver Barker-Vormawor, convener of #FixTheCountry movement, arrested again, I understand for a motoring offence on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes…”

The police released a four-page document signed by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, accusing the British High Commissioner of meddling in the internal affairs of the country and further instructing her to mind her own business following a tweet she made.

Reacting to these developments, Richard Kumadoe indicated that political actors, law enforcement and advocacy groups need to have a converging point to determine what they want to achieve. “The most important to consider is what is good for the country. If this is not done they will keep on conflicting and fighting amongst themselves.”

As the entire country is on edge, Richard Kumadoe says ‘this is not time for these things to be happening.” He told Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show.

The Ministry of National Security issued a terrorist threat warning May 17. Officials cited security conditions in the region and recent attacks against neighboring countries and concluded that there was reason to believe that Ghana was being targeted. Authorities have requested heightened vigilance, including at mass gatherings and public and religious places, such as mosques and churches. No further precise intelligence was provided.

Increased security measures, including checkpoints, patrols, and random vehicle searches, are possible, notably in urban centers such as Accra. Localized transport disruptions could occur in areas with a heavy security presence.

The warning follows an attack by dozens of unidentified assailants against a security post along Togo’s border with Burkina Faso in Savanes Region overnight May 9-10 and an increase in attacks in northern Cote d’Ivoire in 2021 and Benin in 2022.

Groups linked with Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) have been implicated in these incidents. The threat of a further expansion southward into coastal West Africa, including Ghana, remains possible.