ELS: MBN360
National Security Coordinator, COP Osman Abdul Razak, has warned that some political vigilante mobilisation is increasingly moving into less visible spaces, including social media platforms and encrypted communication channels.
He said although the visibility of organised vigilante groups has declined since the passage of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), the threat has not been fully eliminated.
Speaking at the Election Watch Ghana dialogue on vigilantism on Tuesday, August 25, COP Osman said some groups were adapting by changing their identities and operating through less formal structures.
“A vigilante group is a vigilante group, regardless of its name, uniform or publicity,” he stressed.
According to him, some vigilante groups are now rebranding themselves as internal security teams, volunteer task forces or community security initiatives. Others, he said, have dissolved into looser and less visible networks, making them more difficult for security agencies to identify and track.
COP Osman added that mobilisation is increasingly taking place online through social media, encrypted chats and other informal communication channels.
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“Mobilisation has moved online, on social media, encrypted chats, local disputes, targeted security arrangements, or other informal channels,” he said.
He cautioned that the changing nature of vigilantism requires security agencies to adapt their monitoring and enforcement strategies to address emerging forms of mobilisation.
COP Osman also acknowledged that prosecutions under Act 999 have been limited and that some legal processes have been slow.
He, however, maintained that the existence of delays should not be interpreted as a lack of commitment by the State to enforce the law.
“Let us know that the law exists, and it shall be enforced fairly without fear or favour,” he said.
He warned that when enforcement is perceived to be weak, selective or excessively delayed, it could undermine the deterrent effect of the law.
COP Osman therefore called for the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act to be applied consistently and fairly to ensure that emerging forms of political vigilantism do not undermine Ghana’s peace and democratic stability.
