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Vigilante groups: Is Ghana at the tipping point?

The attack came after a few weeks of warning from security experts that Ghana could degenerate into armed conflict if vigilante groups such as the Invincible Forces and Delta Force are allowed to carry their weight about without any punitive measures.

Since the Akufo-Addo administration won power, following a peaceful election, there appear to be a growing insecurity in different spheres of the lives of some Ghanaians.

Ex ministers are being  hounded, state properties have been targeted and cost of living is expected to go up due to the recent hikes in transport fares. To add to this vigilante groups like the Delta and Invincible Force are scaring all of us with their violence.

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Several security experts including former National Security Coordinator under the Mills administration, Kofi Bentum Quantson, have warned governments (NDC and NPP) on several occasion about the threat these marauding vigilante groups pose to the nation.

Quantson speaking on Radio Ghana said  “It is an irresponsible situation and disgraceful that we will have citizens branding themselves or describing themselves and going into a spree of violence and lawlessness in the wake of the elections. The fact that they are supposed to be aligned to the ruling government makes it a more irresponsible act,” he said.

The Director of Operations at the Ghana Police service, Chief Superintendent Dr Benjamin Agordzo, last week, also warned that the activities of the Delta Force and the Invincible Forces could plunge the nation into armed conflict.

He justify his comments, saying the wars in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and elsewhere happened because people were secretly armed, trained and prepared for it.

"We are talking about war in Serra Leone, we are talking about war in Côte d’Ivoire, we are talking about wars elsewhere, they did not just happen. They happened because people secretly armed themselves, people secretly trained, people secretly prepared and then there was a trigger and the trigger was carried forward. After the trigger, people who perpetrated the [violence] are people who were prepared,” he said.

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Boko Haram, the Nigerian homegrown terror group, begun in a similar way of the Delta and Invincible Forces: a small gang formed by politicians to provide security and torment political opponents.

Then they grew into a huge radicalized terrorist organisation, terrorising civilians because steps were not taken to disband it. This was because they were used and dumped by politicians after engaging their services.

President Akufo Addo in the 2016 elections promised us better security, promised to deal with hooligans and lawlessness because he has been a victim twice.

In 2009, his car was seized by National Democratic Congress (NDC) miscreants because they assumed it was for the state. It was released to him after two years.

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And in 2016, NDC activists who were on a health walk, stopped by his house and pelted it with stones, terrorizing his family.

I believe we are at the tipping point where the security of the state is gradually being undermined by these vigilante groups. It is only a matter of time before it explodes in our faces.

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