The Majority in Parliament has assured that government is investigating a recent report by the Libyan government, which claimed that between 50 to 100 Ghanaians have joined the dreadful terrorist group, Islamic State in that country.
A report issued by the Libyan government said Ghanaian migrants feature prominently as members of the terrorist group.
The report placed Ghana in the second highest category suggesting that between 50 to 100 Ghanaian migrants are frontline fighters for the so-called Islamic State in Libya.
Following the report, the Minority in Parliament charged government not to allow the Ghanaian ISIS fighters into the country until they are properly investigated and given security clearance.
“Government must put measures in place to ensure that none of these alleged Ghanaian Islamic State fighters are allowed to return to Ghana without strict security clearance and surveillance,” the Minority spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The Minority also called on government to ensure that Ghana’s international reputation is not affected over Libyan report.
But Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Frank Annor Dompreh, at a counter press conference said government will certainly break its silence on the matter after the investigation.
“This is not a matter that is new, the government is fully aware of this. We have done enough checks at the Ministry [of Foreign Affairs], and the Ministry is already aware.
What is important is that, the ministry is conducting investigations on this matter. We think that soonest, the Republic and for that matter the government, will come up with the full disclosure and findings of what indeed is the truth or otherwise,” he said.
Mr. Dompreh also challenged the report, saying for now, the identity of the supposed Ghanaians believed to have joined the terrorist group, has not been confirmed.
“In the report, it is being alleged that some Ghanaians have been mentioned – the authenticity of these Ghanaians have not been proven at this stage,” he added.
KNUST student joins ISIS
This comes on the back of reports that a graduate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Nazir Nortei Alema had joined the terrorist group in 2015.
Harry Sarfo, a German Ghanian, had also in the early part of 2017, confessed to having been a fighter for ISIS.
The 28-year-old, who is serving a three-year prison term in Germany on terrorism charges, said he had however avoided participating in the group’s violence.