The Minority in Parliament has slammed the Ministers for the Interior, Foreign Affairs, and the Acting Minister of Defence for failing to provide timely updates on the killing of eight Ghanaians in Burkina Faso, one week after the tragic attack.
The absence of the security ministers, according to the Minority, reflects a serious lapse in the government’s oversight and response mechanisms, describing the situation as a systemic failure in protecting Ghanaian citizens, particularly those travelling to high-risk countries.
Speaking to the media after a joint committee meeting, Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee and MP for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, stated: “We have waited in Parliament for over a week. None of the ministers for foreign affairs, defence, or the interior has had the courtesy to appear before the house to update us.”
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He added that Minority members on the Foreign Affairs, Defence, Interior, and Security and Intelligence Committees formally wrote to summon the ministers to provide detailed explanations on the circumstances surrounding the attack.
“We sought to understand what contributed to the attack, what has been done so far, and what mechanisms are being put in place to prevent future occurrences. Clearly, there was a failure on the part of the government to put in place preventive measures,” rev. Fordjour noted.
The Minority has proposed credible security and diplomatic measures aimed at strengthening protections for Ghanaian citizens both at home and abroad.
“Never again must such terrorist killings occur. We are mindful of the geopolitical complexities within the sub-region and insist on sound government policies, effective mechanisms, and appropriate collaboration with external partners to safeguard our citizens,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, described the incident as a terrorist attack, demanding urgent government intervention. He called for a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry, the renegotiation of the Accra Initiative, and the immediate completion of Forward Operating Bases to enhance border surveillance and security architecture.
The caucus stressed that protecting Ghanaian lives must remain a top national priority, particularly amid rising insecurity in the West African sub-region.