The Catholic Church remains "alert to face security," says Archbishop

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The Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Accra said the church was on high alert to avoid possible extremist attacks.

Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie revealed Thursday that the Archdiocese of Accra had already hired Inspector General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu, and the police administration to develop a strategy solid to protect the faithful on Sunday.

"Security has become a big problem today with what happened in Sri Lanka and what is happening in Burkina Faso. As it gets closer to us, we are now on the alert to deal with this security threat that is getting ready, "he said.

Photo: Victoria Lugey, President of CAMP-G (3^rd right) briefing the Archbishop during the visit

The Metropolitan Archbishop gave badurances in his office at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra when a Catholic Association of Media Professionals of Ghana (CAMP-G) convened him on Thursday, May 23, 2019.

"It's time for us to stay awake; it is time for us to rise to see what we can do to protect the innocent who come to the church. They came to the church to worship and it will be sad to find that it is inside the church that they will meet their death, "he said. he declares.

The badurance of the Metropolitan Archbishop comes as a result of the terrorist threat that has hit the country.

Ghana strengthens security at its border while a Salafi-jihadist group based in Burkina Faso strikes the country.

On February 15, 2019, militants killed four Burkinabe customs officers at a checkpoint in Nohao, near the border with Ghana, and burned three vehicles. They also killed a Spanish priest.

The security situation in Burkina Faso, Ghana's neighbor to the north, remains unstable, as thousands of Burkinabe residents flock to Ghanaian villages after unrest.

The African Center for Security and Intelligence Studies (ACSIS) also issued a security alert indicating that the Salafi-jihadist group had moved to Ghana through the border with Burkina Faso in recent months.

During the visit of CAMP-G, Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie said Thursday that bailiffs in churches across the country should play a key role in efforts to prevent extremist attacks by alarming suspicious characters .

"In our parishes, bailiffs must get up; they have to get up because people come [to church] and we do not know what they carry in the church … what bailiffs are called to do, "he said.

Already, Christ the King Church, one of the parishes of the Archdiocese of Accra, has banned backpacks as part of new guidelines aimed at strengthening the safety of the city. 39; church.

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The new security measures are also part of a national campaign to strengthen the internal security of churches as a result of terrorist threats.