Former President John Dramani Mahama has called on the government to take urgent steps to address the rising incidents of highway robberies, especially in the northern part of the country.
Mahama’s call comes after the killing of an international journalist on the Tamale-Buipe highway last week by robbers.
In a statement, Mr. Mahama said “the now rampant criminal activity of armed robbers in the northern parts of the country is a cause for great concern,” adding that such criminal incidents are not just occurrences of the night but also during the day.
Syed Taaley Ahmed, a respected journalist with London-based MTA International (Muslim TV) died after a vehicle he was travelling on was attacked by armed robbers who fired several rounds and took their valuables from them.
He was pronounced dead after he and another colleague were rushed to the hospital by a police patrol team that later arrived at the scene.
According to Mahama, “it is truly ironic that a journalist working on a documentary on peace and security should die from an incident of highway robbery, which has become symptomatic of the violent crime currently consuming our country.”
He said the chiefs and local stakeholders in the various parts of northern Ghana are concerned about the recent incidents of highway robberies and have communicated their sentiments to him.
Mr. Mahama said he wants “the government to urgently address the worrying development,” and among other things it wants it to provide all the needed support to the country’s police service to be able to deliver on its mandate of protecting the people.
“We, therefore, call on the Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government to take urgent steps to address the deteriorating security situation in the country so that our people can feel safe to go about their daily activities,” John Mahama added.
Read Mahama’s full statement below:
