When Will The Ghanaian Nation-state Start Dealing Seriously With The Armed-robbery Menace?

One is so grateful that when he was robbed at gunpoint a few days ago, the Hon. Kan Dapaah was not harmed by the cheeky and cowardly individuals,  who carried out that despicable crime.


As it happens, dear reader, the Hon. Kan Dapaah is one of the few politicians in Ghana - from across the spectrum - that I actually   respect. And I am really glad that Providence spared him from being harmed  during that  robbery.


The trauma that the Hon. Kan Dapaah no doubt experienced,  during the armed robbery   in his Dansoman residence, is  sadly  one that many families in Ghana have already experienced.


And it highlights a growing problem, that as a people we must force our ruling elites to deal with. The authorities need to put measures in place to deal effectively with that societal menace.


If nothing drastic is done about it, with armed robberies now taking place even on our nation's highways,  it will soon  get out of hand - and begin to affect our nation's international reputation as  a haven  of peace and stability in sub-Saharan Africa.


And what serious investor would want to invest in a nation that cannot ensure the  personal security of its citizens, and that of other nationals who reside  in it, I ask, dear reader?


Surely, the authorities   must not wait for  a string of violent and daring armed robberies, which  target the families of "big people" (both Ghanaian  and foreign)  to take place,  before draconian measures are  taken to halt this collective nightmare?


One can understand the humanitarian concerns of those who are against the death sentence. However, if Ghana has now ended up becoming the mecca of the West African sub-region's criminals, then,   surely,   the  time has  now come  for Parliament to pass a law that makes armed robbery a crime punishable by a mandatory death sentence (and the carrying out of same,  strictly time-bound,  to be an effective deterrent)?


Those who carry out armed robberies do so largely because they know that the worst that can happen to them,  when apprehended,  is a stint in  prison - from whence  their  criminal associates on the outside  can eventually buy their freedom.


Perhaps the question we must pose to those who rule us,  is: When exactly will the Ghanaian nation-state start  dealing  seriously with the armed-robbery menace society now faces?


Tel: 027 745 3109.


Email: peakofi.thompson@gmail.com.