Ghana dey investigate how thousands of weapons take 'vanish' from military hand

BBC News

22-07-2025

Defence minister for Ghana don order investigation into how thousands of military ammunition don "miss or disappear" bifor di kontris December 2024 elections.
Dr Edward Omane Boamah bin tok during di govment accountability series on Monday say "we don keep di kontri safe and stable even though dem bin transfer thousands of guns from di Armed Forces to di national security agency for 2024."
Im tok say di national security secretariat neva fit account for di guns wey don dey raise questions about di whole transfer and why di national security go need thousands of guns when dem neva get active fighting force.
"Di reality na say till now, those ammunitions still no dey accounted for."
Dr Omane Boamah tok journalists say "di Ghana Armed forces don pass di mata to di national security secretariat say make dey chook eye for di matter sake of na dem bin collect di guns."
Ghana President John Mahama first tok dis mata about guns wey don dey for di hand of plenty pipo for di kontri during im state of di nation address for 27 February 2025.
Im tell parliament say "I wan promise say we dey committed to build our democracy especially given di troubling proliferation of military-grade weapons wey bin fall into di hands of unauthorized pipo under di former govment."
President Mahama bin add say, "dis weapons dey pose ogbonge wahala to our national security wey e don dey scata di safety of all Ghanaians wey e fit pour fire for conflicts wey dey happun for parts of di kontri and armed robbery."
Five months since di president don tok di mata, dem still neva find di weapons.
Di defence ministry tok say dem bin confam say di weapons bin comot di Ghana Armed forces armoury without due process.
"Di Ghana armed forces bin get protocols wia dem suppose use to transfer any asset to any oda agency for wetin dem wan carry do," di Deputy Defence Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi tell local network TV3 for Monday night.
Im bin explain say, "dem no follow dis protocols and procedures wen di thousands of ammunitions bin dey transferred to di national security agency, dem no get any documents wey dey cover dis transfer."
According to di deputy minister, govment neva fit get answers about wia dis weapons bin dey till now, and wetin dem carry di weapons go do bifor elections.
Di national security now begin dey chook eye for di mata well well.
Meanwhile, one former deputy defence minister for di Nana Akufo-Addo govment tok say im dey find am "absurd say di minister go run to di public to tok some of dis matter."
According to oga Kofi Amankwah-Manu, "e no be difficult tin to sabi wia a gun or ammunition bin go, who carry am and wetin dem carry am do."
Sabi pipo don tok say dis tin na ogbonge mata wey e fit be say dis guns bin find dia way into di hands of wrong pipo.
One sabi pesin Oga Richard Kumadoe describe di mata as "too absurd for us a kontri", - e say di investigation get to be proper investigation.
"Di bureau of national investigation (BNI) get to be di pipo wey fit chook eye well well and find di facts and wia di weapons don vanish to."
Im tell BBC pidgin say, "inside di security intelligence environment, we bin dey deal wit wetin we call command and control, na so at any point, whatever dem bin move and whatever dem don receive within di chain of activity, somebody get to dey responsible, dem get to hold somebody accountable for dis."
"E fit be say dem don sell di weapons wey bin disappear for di black market or dem take take pipo wey don dey involve for illegal mining or even political party vigilantes, to find dem na critical" oga Kumadoe tok BBC pidgin.
Ghana bin dey battle chieftaincy conflict wey bin last for many decades for parts of di kontri.
Recently, sabi pipo bin tok say gun violence, mystery killings and robberies don dey hapun plenty, sometin wey bin dey keep di Inspector general of police (IGP) awake at night.
Oga Christian Tetteh Yohuno for April dis year bin appeal to youth wey don dey fight for Bawku to "law dia arms".
Wit terror threats and oda activities of jihadist along some of di kontris border communities, sabi pipo want ogbonge security for di kontris land, air and sea ports.