Embassies' security alerts to foreign nationals routine - Police

The Ghana Police Service has allayed fears citizens and foreign nationals in the country may have for visiting some suburbs in the capital following security alert by some foreign embassies.

The Director General of Police Public Affairs, ACP David Eklu, said the recent issue of security alert by the U.S. and other foreign missions in the country to their citizens especially those visiting Ghana for the first time is a normal practice.

“These are not new so we are aware of them and a visit to those areas will show you there are lots of police presence on the ground,” he told Joy News’ Gifty Andoh Appiah on The Pulse programme on JOY NEWS MultiTV channel, Friday.

His comment follows a recent warning by the US Embassy in Accra advising its nationals to avoid some communities in Accra that have recorded violence recently.

The security message posted on the Embassy’s website on August 24, 2017, expressed concern about the growing crime in the Greater Accra region especially in areas like Avenor, Sowutuom, Sukura, Agbobloshie, Nima and Ashaiman.

“The U.S. Embassy informs U.S. citizens that, due to credible reports of growing crime rates, U.S. Embassy personnel have been instructed to avoid the following precincts of Accra: Avenor, Sowutuom Sukura, Agbobloshie, Ashaiman (located in the Tema Region) [and] Nima (Except when traveling via the main highway past Nima),” the report said.

The Embassy’s alert comes off the back of recent skirmishes in some of the areas mentioned which have put the police on high alert for the past weeks.

In Avenor, there was a police alert to avert a possible bloodletting between articulated and spare parts dealers and workers of a private developer.

The two factions are laying claim to a piece of land said to be a state property. There is already an interlocutory injunction stopping the two factions from developing the land.

Also recently in Sowutuom, some angry residents threatened to attack Nigerians living in the community following the stabbing to death of a Ghanaian by a Nigerian, Peter Thompson, after accusing him of theft.

The Regional Police Command subsequently deployed a large number of police men to Sowutuom to curb any escalation of violence.

The other areas- Agblogbloshie, Nima and Ashaiman- which are notorious for periodic violence, have, however, not recorded any incidents in recent times.

That notwithstanding, the Embassy encouraged US citizens to “review your personal security plans, remain aware of your surroundings, including local events, and monitor local news stations for updates. Be vigilant and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security and follow instructions of local authorities.”

But ACP Eklu said the security provided in the aforementioned areas “is relatively okay as our focus in those areas shows an aggressive police presence. Also, other hotspots are monitored as well." Read Full Story