Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Senior aide to NPP flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged the government to prioritise the restoration of the Ghana Maritime Authority’s surveillance system instead of threatening members of the opposition over their comments on drug trafficking.
His comments follow remarks by NDC Deputy Director of Elections and IT, Rashid Tanko-Computer, that some NPP members could be invited by security agencies to provide further information on allegations of drug-related activities in the country.
According to him, the system used by the Ghana Maritime Authority to monitor activities on Ghana’s high seas has allegedly been down for months, raising concerns about the country’s ability to effectively monitor its maritime jurisdiction.
“Let me give you a very important information. As we speak, the Ghana Maritime Authority that is responsible for providing surveillance for our high seas, the system that they use to provide this surveillance has been down for months.
“Now what it means is that the Ghana Maritime Authority is working blindly. Instead of you to focus on fixing that, they are sitting on TV and on radio and threatening your opponents of arresting them with security agencies,” he said on Joy FM’s Top Story.
He said restoring the surveillance system was critical to protecting Ghana’s territorial waters and preventing illicit activities at sea.
“We want Ghana Maritime Authority systems to be restored so that they can provide security and protection,” he said.
Mr Aboagye explained that Ghana’s responsibility for maritime security extends beyond the country’s ports into its territorial waters and other areas under its jurisdiction.
“Because you see, if somebody moves their ship from the Tema port and begins to sail away from Ghana until they leave the high seas of our jurisdiction, we have a responsibility,” he said.
He further warned that gaps in maritime surveillance could create opportunities for unauthorised vessels to approach ships after they have departed Ghanaian ports.
“Now if Ghana Maritime Authority don’t have the systems, what it means is that even after the ship has sailed from Tema port, somebody can move in a drag with speedboats and when it meets them, close them,” he added.
Mr Aboagye called on the government to focus on strengthening the country’s security systems rather than engaging in political exchanges over the recent drug trafficking concerns.
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