The Minority in Parliament has raised alarm over what it describes as a sharp and frightening rise in kidnapping across Ghana, warning that young women and men are disappearing and children are vanishing on their way to school.
According to the Minority, the scale and nature of recent abductions show that insecurity has moved beyond isolated criminal acts into a national emergency. “Kidnapping has risen sharply,” the group said. “Young women and men disappear. Children vanish on their way to school.”
The Minority argued that the country’s response has been dangerously inadequate, insisting that the situation demands more than reactive interventions. “We need a comprehensive national security strategy, visible results, and sustained leadership,” the statement stressed, warning that without decisive action, public fear will continue to deepen.
Concerns were also raised about Ghana’s borders, which the Minority said appear gravely weakened. Illegal arms, they warned, are flowing freely across borders, while criminal gangs operate with impunity, strengthening kidnapping and organized crime networks nationwide.
Despite these growing threats, the Minority criticised the government’s approach as largely symbolic. “The Government’s response has been committees and meetings,” they said, noting that communities remain exposed and security agencies continue to operate under severe resource constraints.
The consequences, the Minority warned, are being felt across everyday life and the wider economy. “When citizens cannot travel safely on our highways, when parents fear their children will not return home, when investors question whether Ghana can protect assets and personnel, and when terrorists probe our borders, this is not merely a security failure,” the statement said. “It is a governance crisis.”
The Minority also said Ghana’s security situation has deteriorated sharply, forcing citizens to “sleep with one eye open” just one year into President John Dramani Mahama’s renewed mandate.
Citing figures acknowledged by the Interior Minister, the Deputy Minority Leader, Patricia Appiagyei said that as of July 2025, the country had recorded about 628 cases of armed robbery and 340 murders involving illicit firearms—an alarming toll within only half a year.
“The security situation has deteriorated, transforming our once -peaceful nation into fear and uncertainty,” they said at a press conference in Accra on January 8.
According to the Minority, Ghanaians no longer feel protected in their own homes, blaming the trend on politicized policing and the neglect of security services.
“This is not something that can be brushed aside with ceremonies and speeches,” the group said, adding that the state’s duty to protect life and property has weakened.
They stressed that the crisis is not simply about funding. “It is not merely resources; it is priority,” the Minority argued, calling for urgent leadership action to restore public confidence and safety.
By Noble Crosby Annan
