The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has raised concerns over the increasing threat of radicalisation and violent extremism near Ghana’s border with Burkina Faso.
According to GIS, extremist activities have been reported in the Burkina Faso communities of Kala and Kampala, just a few kilometres from Ghana’s Nakolo in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.
Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) Robert Ubindam, head of operations and intelligence at the Paga Sector Command, emphasised the situation’s urgency.
In a recent community engagement, Ubindam detailed the GIS’s intensified border monitoring efforts and collaboration with various organisations to educate and train local youth.
“We are working closely with Nakolo and nearby communities, such as Kulia and Gwania, to foster cooperation with security services and improve information-sharing on unusual activities,” Ubindam said.
The GIS has deployed armed officers under Operation Conquered First to patrol unapproved border crossings and monitor potential threats.
The Assemblyman for the Paga-Nakolo Electoral Area, Michael Asagewe, echoed the call for increased community education to address these security threats.
The GIS, the Upper East Regional Peace Council, the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and the Narcotics Control Commission actively engage with residents to raise awareness about extremist activities.
This initiative, part of the Atlantic Corridor Project funded by Denmark, Norway, Germany, and Australia through the UNDP, aims to prevent and respond to violent extremism in the region.
