The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA), Dr. Adam Bonaa, has emphasized that disarming communities plagued by illegal mining, chieftaincy disputes, and landguardism could bring an end to these persistent security challenges in Ghana.

Speaking during a courtesy call on the Ashanti Regional Minister on the sidelines of an ongoing retreat by the commission in the region, Dr. Bonaa highlighted the transformative potential of new technologies being acquired by NACSA to detect and retrieve hidden firearms.

Dr. Bonaa revealed that NACSA, under the support of President John Dramani Mahama’s Reset Agenda through the Ministry of the Interior, is acquiring advanced machines capable of detecting guns buried underground or concealed in vehicles.

"Now we have a machine that can detect a gun; even if you dig the earth and bury it, we can retrieve them. Again, if the gun is hidden in a car, the machine can equally detect it, so we retrieve it. We remain the only organization that the government of President John Dramani Mahama, through his Reset Agenda, through the Ministry of Interior, is acquiring these technologies for, so we can effectively execute our duties," he stated.

The mandate of NACSA, established under Act 736 of 2007, includes preventing, combating, and eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, as well as educating the public on the dangers of their proliferation.

In Ghana, the unchecked spread of firearms has fueled violent conflicts, particularly in areas of illegal mining (galamsey), chieftaincy disputes such as those in Bawku, and landguardism, where armed individuals forcibly seize land.
These issues have posed significant threats to national security and public safety.

Dr. Bonaa argued that removing weapons from these hotspots would drastically reduce the impunity with which perpetrators operate.

"If you take away guns and bullets out of galamsey sites, Bawku, and areas of landguardism, these bad activities will come to an end. Because they wield these weapons, they have no fear of taking your land away from you," he said.

He further noted that the presence of arms in galamsey sites forces police officers and soldiers to exercise caution during enforcement operations, limiting their effectiveness.

"When police officers and soldiers are going to these galamsey sites, they tend to exercise caution due to the weapons being used at these sites," he added.


The Acting Executive Secretary expressed optimism that leveraging this new technology to retrieve illicit guns would enhance community safety across Ghana.
"So if we are able to leverage our technology to retrieve these guns, it will lead to our communities being safer," Dr. Bonaa concluded.

The acquisition of these tools aligns with NACSA’s ongoing efforts, including border surveillance at locations like Aflao, Elubo, and Tema Port, and collaboration with the Ghana Police Service to collect and destroy seized weapons.




GA

You can also watch a compilation of the latest Twi news on GhanaWeb TV below: