New Edubiase (Ash),– Ghanaians have been advised to be on the lookout for activities that pose a security threat to the State and take proactive steps to stop any action that could endanger the lives of citizens.

They should be vigilant at all times and leave no room for extremist activities, which are claiming lives just across Ghana’s borders.

Mr George Owu, the Adansi South District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), who gave the advice, said security consciousness was a civic responsibility of every citizen.

He was speaking at an Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) meeting on violent extremism organised by the NCCE with funding from the European Union (EU).

The meeting formed part of a national campaign aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence and national cohesion being implemented by the NCCE in collaboration with the National Security Ministry.

It was attended by representatives drawn from the Police, Electoral Commission, Ghana Immigration Service, political parties, youth and women groups, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), the local council of churches and the Muslim community.

Mr Owu said Ghana needed to maintain its enviable status as one of the most peaceful and stable countries in the West African Sub-Region.

This, he said, could only be achieved when the citizenry was committed to peaceful co-existence and also engaged in activities that promoted national cohesion from the community to the national level.

He admonished Ghanaians not to be complacent about the security of the State, saying that we must be guided by terrorist activities in

neighbouring countries.

He also cautioned the public against misguided and inflammatory

statements that could plunge the nation into chaos, especially on mass

media platforms.

Mr Ali Kasim, who represented the Regional Director of NCCE,

entreated Ghanaians to be law-abiding and to desist from activities

that infringed on law and order.

He called on stakeholders at the community level to revive

neighbourhood watchdog committees to complement the efforts of the

Police and also enhance security.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Francis Ackah, the

District Police Commander, took participants through the Public Order

Act 491 and the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act 999 with a call

on traditional and opinion leaders to desist from the habit of

intervening for perpetrators of crime.

He said such practices did not only obstruct justice but were

also counter-productive to crime prevention.

Source: Ghana News Agency