Mr Victor Elikpilim Nuworkpor, the Upper West Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has advised Ghanaians to prioritise personal security over other gains, to preventing violent extremism from penetrating communities.

He said people should also avoid giving information about their friends, family members and other relations to strangers, to safeguard peace.

Mr Nuworkpor gave the advice during an interaction with students at the Tumu College of Education, as part of the implementation of the, 'Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) in Eight Border Regions in Northern Ghana,' project by the NCCE, with funds from the European Union (EU).

The overall objective was to prevent and contain violent extremism and terrorism through the promotion of social cohesion, peace and tolerance in the five Northern Regions and other hotspots (the three bordering regions in the north).

The specific aim of the youth engagement programme was also to ensure that the youth understood the negative consequences of joining violent extremist groups and appreciated the legal framework that barred such activities.

He told the students that even if they knew the person or group of people seeking information, they should not volunteer to disclose anything, until the purpose for the request was given or permission sought for from a higher authority.

Mr Nuworkpor explained that the information given out could be used to attack a person, a group, or a community.

He entreated the students to be abreast with all emergency numbers, especially that of the security, to get the necessary help when in danger.

Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) William Addai, the Second-In-Command of the Ghana Immigration Service in Tumu, who spoke on 'Identifying Early Warning Signals, Community Surveillance and Basic Community-Based Strategies for Countering Arms Proliferation as Mechanisms for Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism,' said the West Africa sub-region had been engulfed with activities of extremists, especially the Sahel region.

He said Ghana's neighbouring countries were equally facing similar security challenges and as a result, citizens from countries like Burkina Faso, were escaping into Ghana as refugees.

DSI Addai, indicated that as residents of the municipality, they needed to be vigilant for suspected extremists since not all the people coming into the Municipality were using the approved routes.

He took the students through triggers of violent extremism, signs of radicalisation, and how to prevent and contain these activities.

Mr Osman Kanton Luriwie, the Executive Director for Action for Sustainable Development, also spoke on 'Peace Building Mechanisms and Gender Dimensions of Violent Extremism: Strategies for Enhancing Social Cohesion,' saying, efforts in peacebuilding should be geared towards achieving sustainable peace to guarantee growth and development.

'Ad-hoc measures to peacebuilding could relapse and degenerate into unimaginable consequences,' Mr Luriwie said.

He urged the students not to think of violent extremism as a male affair, explaining that said females were now being used in executing the plans of extremists and no one should underestimate their role in these activities.

Source: Ghana News Agency