Renowned security consultant Prof. Kwesi Aning has expressed little surprise over the ongoing post-election violence in Ghana, citing the security system’s failure to effectively assess and respond to the situation.
Despite the peaceful conduct of the 2024 elections, violence erupted, resulting in loss of lives, properties, and widespread looting and vandalism.
The violence has been widely condemned by stakeholders, including President-elect John Dramani Mahama, who has called for an immediate end to the violence.
Both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have also denounced the actions.
The Ghana Police Service has arrested numerous individuals in connection with the violence.
Speaking in an interview on GHOne TV, Prof. Aning attributed the violence to the entrenched culture of violence in Ghanaian politics, where perpetrators are often rewarded with jobs if their party wins.
He criticised the security system’s inability to crack down on these criminal actions, emphasizing that the failure to respond effectively has created the impression that the violence is a new phenomenon.
He stated, “No, I wasn’t surprised, far from it. Violence in Ghanaian politics and the more violent you are, whether in terms of your words or actual perpetration of violence acts. If your party wins election then it becomes a profitable investment, because you will be given a job. in that sense, I knew it would happen. I neither also surprised by the scale of it. It’s the failure of our security assessment that is creating the impression that this is new and the unwillingness or otherwise of those who are in charge of our security to crack the whip, otherwise, these are criminal actions and they need to respond to it.
