A Ghanaian female Shakira Mohammed
is also reported to have joined terrorist organization, Islamic State (IS).
Refusing to go beyond this scanty
detail about the female ISIS disciple as their investigations gather momentum,
National Security managers yesterday told selected editors in a maiden
engagement since the ISIS story broke out, to be circumspect in their reportage
on the subject.
Daily Guide has gathered from other
sources however, that the lady in question hails from the northern part of the
country and was until her departure domiciled in Tema.
National Security Coordinator, Yaw
Donkor, assured the nation that although the number of those joining the ranks
of the dreaded terrorist organization could rise, "there is no reason to
fear. The ISIS recruitment could go up instead of coming down but currently the
number of those who have joined them is only a handful".
He added that social media are the
main means of reaching out to those subscribing to the ISIS mentality.
Another reason why there should not
be excessive fear about ISIS threat in the country is that, "the current
direction is outward. It is only when they are returning that we should
worry."
He confirmed that 25-year-old
graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST),
Nazir Nortei Alema and another man called Rafik have joined the terrorist
group.
Giving a useful insight into the
subject, he said the National Security Council was probing some tertiary
institutions - "suspect institutions" - as he put it, but explained
that not all tertiary institutions are on the internet.
Sources of Recruitment
Public tertiary institutions have so
far been sources of recruitment for ISIS, Daily Guide has gathered the national
security apparatus has directed its attention to these locations in its continuing
investigations.
Mr Yaw Donkor, exuding a reassuring
confidence as he was supported by the National Security Advisor, Baba Kamara,
cautioned the media and Ghanaians in general against stereotyping when dealing
with the ISIS issue because "we are all potential recruits."
The issue, he urged, should not be
limited to the Islamic community because it goes beyond that, adding that even
before matters got to this stage the National Security Council had undertaken
outreach programmes to alert people about the security threats posed by
religious zealots.
While pointing at the negative role
of the social media in the matter under review, the National Security
Coordinator explained that not all members of such groups share extremist
views.
ISIS recruits use countries such as
Burkina Faso or Niger for their onward journey to their final destination of
either Syria or Turkey.
Yaw Donkor disclosed that there is a
school in Niger where ISIS recruits undergo preliminary training before
departure to their final destinations.
Telltale demeanours
About the telltale demeanours of
ISIS sympathizers, the security capo said some of them do not show marked
changes while others do.
Badhan Diallo, the Guinean alleged
to be the brain behind the recruitment of Ghanaian ISIS disciples for instance,
did not spot any changes in his demeanour, Mr Donkor said.
Some, he went on, show changes such
as withdrawing into themselves, growing beard and spotting turbans.
"Close associates can pick up
unusual traits and tell Imams or pastors," he entreated.
A number of challenges bedevil
national security operations regarding the subject under review, he said, as he
pointed at the non-existence of a relevant law to deal with it.
ISIS disciples become potential
terrorists only when they leave the country, explaining that when such persons
are here little or nothing is known about them until they depart. Under such
circumstances he asked, "What do we do?"
The challenges not withstanding, Mr
Yaw Donkor and the National Security Advisor (Baba Kamara) posted sufficient
and convincing knowledge about the subject and their being on top of it.
Baba Kamara
Baba Kamara said the details as
contained in the Daily Guide, are already known to the National Security
Council, adding circumspection and discretion should be applied when reporting
on subjects with national and international security implications.
Ghanaians who have so far joined
ISIS are Nazir Nortei Alema, Abubakar Mohammed, Shakira Mohammed. Meanwhile,
the real nationality of Bedhan Diallo is not known. Although he is said to
have attended secondary school and university in Ghana, some reports claim he
is a Guinean.
It took the report on the departure
of Nazir Nortei Alema for the lid to be removed over the ISIS recruitment drive
in Ghana.
Source: Daily Guide
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