NIP THIS ACT IN THE MUD

For four days last week, the family, the management of the Alpha Beta School at Dansoman Estates in Accra and, of course, the security apparatus, were variously traumatised, terribly disturbed and at their wits’ end working around the clock on strategies and following leads to rescue an eight-year-old pupil who was kidnapped by some unknown persons.
The kidnappers had gone to the pupil’s school to pick her up in a taxicab and later demanded a ransom of $300,000 but had to settle for GH¢25,000 because that was what the parents of the kidnapped girl could afford.
The child has since been released, the police have confirmed and said two suspects have been arrested.
Meanwhile, in the face of the terrible occurrence, the Principal of the school, Mrs Florence Adjepong, deems it her social responsibility to signal all school management boards to re-evaluate the security measures in place in their respective schools, so that no child or parent would ever again be subjected to such a traumatic experience.
Nothing could be more appropriate than this signal and for the DAILY GRAPHIC the security alert should equally be taken up by all parents and guardians, the Ghana Education Service and the security authorities.
Though very distasteful and a trauma for the victim and her family, the occurrence serves as a wake-up call to all about the threat that the emerging sophisticated crimes in the country pose to every individual’s safety As a short-term measure, there is the need for everybody particularly children, who are the most vulnerable, to be conscientised not to trust people they do not know irrespective of how friendly and kind such strangers appear to them.
This is because though not common in Ghana, kidnapping for ransom is a common occurrence in various parts of the world and if what has been happening in a neighbouring West African country teaches any lessons, then the time to act is now. This is particularly so as the country’s oil find and its attendant economic boom will somehow bring about sophisticated crime.
Already, the country’s security agencies are saddled with the task of fighting rising illicit drug trafficking, a development which portrays Ghana as a notorious drug transit point.
At the same time the police are battling with increasing spate of armed robbery, and car and mobile phone snatching among others.
These, no doubt are over stretching the strength and resources of the Police Service in particular, making it difficult for it to effectively provide other services necessary to ensure the safety of all citizens at all times.
We cannot afford to allow kidnapping especially, kidnapping for ransom to take hold of the country.
It is in the light of this that the security apparatus should get together as early as possible to devise strategies to nip this dangerous development in the bud.