Security Analyst Prof. Kwesi Aning has expressed concern over the timing and possible political undertones of recent operations by Ghana’s security agencies, particularly the demolition of the McDan warehouse and the invitation of NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, August 2, Prof. Aning urged the public and policymakers to critically examine how and when security agencies act on intelligence and implement national decisions.
Citing the demolition of the McDan warehouse on Spintex Road on July 30, 2025, he questioned the timing and legal justification of the exercise.
“When do statutory security agencies get access to critical information upon which they act, and how should those operations be undertaken? One example is the demolition of this particular structure. When did it become law that that structure ought to be demolished? Has the fact just come out, or has the fact always been there but was politicised?” he asked.
Prof. Aning also referenced the recent invitation of Chairman Wontumi by National Security, linking both events to broader governance concerns.
“The second is the invitation of Chairman Wontumi. When did it become clear that some of the activities by his company had flouted national rules? I am raising these two examples to broaden the conversation about timing performance and political control,” he explained.
He argued that these developments reflect deeper issues surrounding decision-making at the highest levels of national security and warned that selective enforcement risks eroding public trust.
“When did National Security, or the council, decide that there was a need for a National Security Council-approved operation to demolish a structure? Have the facts always been known to other statutory institutions that ought to have given the permit, or ought not to have given the permit for that structure to be there?”
Prof. Aning concluded by calling for a national dialogue on institutional capacity and transparency, stressing that effective governance requires consistent application of the law and the confidence of the citizenry.
“So while we talk about the excerpts, we also need to broaden the conversation because this is about institutional capacity and more importantly, the trust that citizens have in the statutory institutions,” he stated.
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