‘Violent Extremism: Watch Out for False Propaganda,’ GIS Cautions.

Paga: The Paga Sector Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in the Kassens-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region has admonished the youth in the area to watch out for enticing words adopted by violent extremists to lure them.According to Ghana News Agency, the Command, through its Head of Operations and Intelligence, Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) Robert Ubindam, highlighted that violent extremists often churn out false narratives to recruit unemployed youth. He expressed concern about radicalization and stressed the importance of awareness creation to prevent the youth from falling for deceptive narratives spread by extremists.DSI Ubindam made these remarks in an interview after facilitating a youth programme organized by the District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) at Paga. Supported by the European Union (EU), the programme was titled 'Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE)' and gathered youth from 11 border communities within the district.The PCVE initiative aims to prevent and contain violent extremism through promoting social cohesion, peace, and tolerance in the five northern regions and other hotspots across Ghana. During the programme, DSI Ubindam educated the youth on extremist groups' operations, emphasizing that extremists use propaganda and false narratives to recruit youth to fight against the state and its security apparatus.He urged the youth to be vigilant for strangers spreading divisive messages, hate speech, and making unrealistic promises, and he encouraged them to report such individuals to security agencies. DSI Ubindam also reassured that the threat of violent extremism to Ghana was real, and security agencies were on high alert, with intensified border patrols by immigration officers.Mr. Robert Dampare, District Director of NCCE, explained that the youth engagement aimed to ensure the youth understood the negative consequences of joining violent extremist groups and appreciated the legal framework prohib iting such activities. He acknowledged that violent extremism continues to threaten global security and societal harmony, especially with the upcoming December 7 elections in Ghana.Mr. Dampare warned that radicalization is a gradual process, making everyone, particularly the youth, vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups. He urged vigilance against suspicious characters and the importance of reporting them to security agencies.The Director expressed gratitude to the EU for supporting the Commission and affirmed the NCCE's commitment to fulfilling its constitutional mandate. Participants at the programme appreciated the initiative and vowed to share the knowledge gained with peers in their communities.