UDS Lecturer Calls for Permanent Anti-Drug Unit as IGP’s Special Operations Team Intensifies Fight in Tamale

The Head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr. Mahama Seth Sayibu, has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to institutionalize the IGP Special Operations Team by establishing a permanent northern Ghana unit dedicated to combating illegal drug trade and substance abuse across the country.

Speaking in an interview with Zaa News, Dr. Sayibu said the creation of a permanent specialized unit would significantly enhance Ghana’s fight against illicit drugs. He emphasized that although Northern Ghana shares porous international borders, a well-resourced and permanent unit would help strengthen security and curb cross-border drug trafficking.

Dr. Sayibu commended the IGP, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, for initiating the Special Operations Team, noting that their work has contributed to sanitizing drug-related activities in the Northern Region. According to him, the team has successfully dismantled the operations of several drug peddling networks within forested areas in the Tamale Metropolis and its surrounding communities.

However, he urged the officers to conduct their duties with respect for human rights.

An intelligence-led operation carried out by the team on Monday, December 1, turned deadly after officers came under sudden gunfire at the Aboabo Forest enclave. The team, which had advanced into the forest to track criminal gangs involved in robbery and illicit drug trafficking, was ambushed by armed men.

Acting under police rules of engagement and self-defence protocols, officers returned fire, killing one person in the process..

The IGP’s Special Operations Taskforce has, in recent weeks, launched a series of targeted security operations in Tamale, focusing particularly on clamping down on illicit drug peddling and abuse. The team, made up of 50 officers and eight service vehicles, including the Black Maria, is led by ASP Bawa Abdul Jalil.

They arrived at the Northern Regional Police Headquarters on Wednesday, November 19, where they were received by the Northern Regional Minister, Ali Adolf John, and the Municipal Chief Executive, Adam Abubakar Takoro.

Source: Ibrahim Angaangmeni Alhassan/zaaghana.com