"Expect More Arson Attacks In Bawku This Election Year"

The Head of Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPC), Dr Kwesi Anning, has served notice that arson attacks in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East region of Ghana and other forms of politically motivated assaults will get worse this election year. The security analyst said previous attacks that went unpunished during election years have served as precedence in the political history of Ghana and it is about time such acts are nipped in the bud before they spread to other flashpoints of the country. Two separate arson attacks have occurred in the Bawku Municipality recently believed to be politically motivated against opponents of the two main political parties � the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). �It will get worse,� Dr. Anning told an Accra-based radio station Joy FM. �We need to be more cautious and bring serial arsonists under control and bring them under the law and a send signal that all crimes will not be tolerated. � �We don�t have a history of arresting and punishing those who perpetuate politically related crime in an election year. �It is crucial that the police is able to apprehend such people and the courts are able to fast track such cases to send a signal that Ghana will not allow that to continue. There are too many acts of violence and indiscipline that is not brought under control,� the security expert said. Dr. Anning called on the security agencies to intensify their patrols in constituencies where the results margin between the victor and the vanquished is so tinny that it always results in conflict or recount.