Tanko Musah cautions against revealing security strategies in ongoing drug cases

Lecturer at the University of Media, Arts and Communication-Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-IJ), Zakaria Tanko Musah, has cautioned against pressuring Ghana’s security agencies to disclose operational details of ongoing narcotics investigations.

Speaking on GTV Breakfast, Musah said excessive disclosure of investigative strategies could alert drug trafficking networks and allow them to change their methods.

He urged the public and commentators to exercise restraint, particularly as the recent investigations involve international cooperation between several countries.

“Let’s not, because we want to satisfy our human interest curiosity, be pushing the national security people to divulge almost all the strategy, because this is an ongoing exercise,” he said.

Musah noted that the investigations extend beyond Ghana, pointing to the involvement of France, the Netherlands and Belgium in the broader narcotics operation.

His comments come amid heightened scrutiny of drug shipments linked to Ghana and ongoing investigations into recent narcotics cases involving the country’s ports.

Following an urgent meeting with security chiefs on September 17, President John Dramani Mahama directed the formation of an inter-agency task force to develop a roadmap for preventing narcotics trafficking through Ghana’s borders. The task force was given two weeks to submit its recommendations.

Authorities have said 10 individuals, including four Customs Division officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority, were being held as investigations continued.

Musah also questioned the wisdom of allowing suspected drug shipments to proceed to their final destination simply to identify more members of a trafficking network, arguing that such operations involve significant risks given the quantity and value of narcotics involved.

He therefore urged stakeholders to allow security agencies to conduct their investigations without unnecessarily exposing sensitive operational information.