Dr. Kojo Asante, Director for Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has raised concerns over recent security operations targeting former government officials, warning that such actions risk undermining due process and democratic norms.
His comments come as part of an assessment of President John Dramani Mahama’s first 120 days in office.
While acknowledging that the administration has had a commendable start, Dr. Asante stressed the need to uphold the rule of law and avoid heavy-handed tactics reminiscent of past excesses.
On February 11, operatives from the National Security raided the home of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. 12 individuals—five in military uniforms, one in police uniform, and others in plain clothes—were involved in the raid.
A similar operation was carried out on March 19 at the residence of former Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Ernest Addison.
Also, on April 19, armed men, masked operatives from the National Security besieged the residence of Rev. John Ntim Fordjour to arrest him.
Dr. Asante questioned the justification for such raids and criticised the use of masked officers, arguing that such tactics are inappropriate in a democratic society.
“We need to follow due process, and I say this with the raid in Ken Ofori-Atta’s house, the former governor’s house, among others. Some of them didn’t need to be done. The whole idea of security officers covering their faces and entering people’s homes is just not right.
“We have to go back to the Emile Short Commission Report and what happened at Ayawaso West Wuogon. These were some of the things we were complaining about, and we just need to avoid these things.
“In places where police are dealing with drug cartels, they try to conceal the identity of officers who might be targeted by the criminal gangs. This is not done in a democracy.
“If for nothing at all, you want to identify those who are carrying out lawful activities of the state. They shouldn’t be covered in their faces and all that,” he said.
“We should remember that the 120-day commitment is a good start…We are not talking about outcomes yet. We should manage our expectations about what has been achieved so far,” he added.
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