Violent extremism: Be vigilant – NCCE urges Bawku residents

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged the residents of Bawku and its environs in the Upper East Region to be vigilant to prevent the infiltration of activities of violent extremists.Mr Daniel Baya Laar, the Bawku Municipal Director of the Commission who made the call, noted that the deteriorating security situation in Bawku and its closeness to Burkina Faso and Togo, countries which had experienced violent extremism, demanded collective effort to safeguard the country's territory.Mr Laar made the call at the second phase meeting of the Bawku Municipal Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC), organised by the NCCE as part of efforts to promote peace before, during and after the electionThe engagement formed part of the Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) project funded by the European Union and being implemented by the NCCE.The engagement was aimed at undertaking peacebuilding consultative meetings and working closely with other stakeholders to avert violent extremi sm and promote peaceful coexistence and national cohesion before, during and after the 2024 general elections.Mr Listowell Akolgo, a Member of the Justice and Peace Committee of the St. Padua Catholic Church in Bawku, encouraged the public especially the residents of Bawku to be wary of misinformation and disinformation towards the elections.He advised the media to be professional in their reportage and called on social media users especially TikTok users to desist from taking to their handle to record derogatory words about politicians which had the tendency to cause conflict.Mr Listowell urged, 'The political parties especially the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress need to preach peace during their campaign and avoid hate speeches, name-calling, stereotyping and disputed elections'.He reminded the committee of how Ghana was admired both in Africa and outside the continent for its peaceful coexistence since the return to Constitutional Democratic rule in 1992 and cautioned the political parties not to mar the reputation Ghana has held for decades.Mr Nurudeen Gumah, the Bawku Central Constituency Assistant Secretary for the New Patriotic Party, who pledged his party's readiness to ensure peace, urged the opinion leaders in the area to help caution the youth against involvement in violence during the election.Mr Ibrahim Issah, a Member of the National Democratic Congress in the area, also expressed his party's resolve to peace and asked the Electoral Commission and the security services to be fair in their dealings during the election.Source: Ghana News Agency