You obtain intelligence when information gathered has been passed through the furnace and didn’t get consumed, but come out refined. This refined product is further put under the microscope to detect any grain of impurity, then the end product becomes unalloyed.
Intelligence is not about impulsive actions on rumours, conjectures, petty gossips, metaphysical necromancies, parembulating sophistry, caboodle of commickery et al. The intelligence architecture of State must operate on finesse, decency, and total impartiality.
Pricetag
If you think someone has bought a wrist watch whose pricetag is abominable, why not confront her evidence you’ve gathered to that effect, but rather demand that she produced same? Do you people know what’s called “self-incriminating evidence”?
I have also maintained that it’s perfectly legitimate holding people to account for their stewardship in regards to management of State resources put into their care. But this archaic and foolish act of storming people’s homes brandishing guns must stop.
Access
Again, the stupidity of abducting people under the guide of arrest, belongs to the stone age and must stop. And when people voluntarily honor invites of State Investigation Agencies, they mustn’t be shifted around, location-wise, and access denied to their lawyers.
You’re looking for someone to be questioned over a matter; this person who was abroad comes back home voluntarily, and you think she would abscond and therefore ought to be held in total communicado, with access denied to her family members and counsel?
Miscreants
I have said I’m not, in anyway whatsoever, against people being held to account for their stewardship. But I still maintain the storming of Ken Ofori-Atta’s house by Richard Jakpa-led bunch of gun-wielding miscreants, is total foolishness and roundly condemnable.
That act of lawlessness, as I’ve said in the past, could have easily ended up in a bloodbath, if there were occupants of the house with arms, because they would’ve felt threatened and chosen to repel those menacing intruders at that ungodly hour.
Ex-convicts
This behavior is alien to security, intelligence, civilization, and common sense. And what is so ironic about this whole development is the fact that those currently engaging in such foolishness are mostly ex-convicts who engaged in serious economic crimes.
And people who, only a couple of months ago, were shouting over the rooftops of being treated unjustly by the State security and legal systems, have suddenly forgotten what they were complaining about, and turn round to be dishing out same to their fellow citizens.
Influence-peddlers
Typically, our country’s political class, particularly the influence peddling dunderheads with absolutely no mandate of the good people of Ghana, are the ones always engaging in such abuse of power, and trumpling on people’s human rights.
We’re running a democratic system in a functional State and our actions, at all times, must be guided by the rule of law and respect for people’s fundamental rights. The naked abuse of power and disregard for rights of law-abiding citizens must be jettisoned.
Justice A. Newton-Offei
[email protected]
