Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom, Dr Dickson Adomako Kissi, has raised concerns about intelligence coordination within Ghana’s security architecture following a series of international drug seizures linked to the country.
Dr Adomako Kissi questioned whether the Interior Minister, Muntaka Mubarak, was adequately informed about major narcotics operations with potential implications for Ghana’s security and international reputation.
Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Wednesday, September 23, he said the Interior Minister should have access to timely intelligence on significant developments affecting national security.
“High on the list is the Interior Minister, Muntaka Mubarak. If he was not privy to this happening, then I’m troubled. That means that there’s a breakage in terms of the intelligence-gathering unit and the Interior Minister. And that is not good,” he said.
Dr Adomako Kissi argued that the issue went beyond the individual drug seizures and raised questions about how intelligence is gathered, shared and acted upon within the security sector.
He said major international narcotics operations involving consignments linked to Ghana should ordinarily trigger attention at the highest levels of the country’s internal security system.
“As an Interior Minister, you should know to a T anything that impacts the country’s security reputation. And for all intents and purposes, he should have had wind of this. That means his ears are not on the ground, and that can be troubling,” he added.
His comments follow the seizure by French customs authorities of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at the Port of Dunkirk on September 10. The cocaine, valued at about €225 million (US$261 million), was concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that arrived from Ghana. French authorities subsequently opened an investigation into the suspected trafficking network.
The Ghanaian authorities have also initiated investigations into the shipment. The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) announced the arrest of three suspects following the French seizure, saying they were assisting with investigations into their alleged roles in the trafficking operation.
The development has triggered wider calls for scrutiny of Ghana’s systems for detecting and preventing narcotics from being moved through the country’s ports.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference, for instance, has called for an urgent and coordinated national response to the narcotics threat, saying the Dunkirk seizure should prompt investigations into how such consignments could move through legitimate commercial channels.
Dr Adomako Kissi’s comments therefore add to growing questions about the effectiveness of intelligence-sharing and security coordination as Ghana investigates drug trafficking networks operating across international borders.
