An attack on Ghana’s peace is an attack on the future of its children — IGP

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohunu has urged religious leaders to use their influence to prevent religious tensions and violence, warning that any attack on Ghana’s peace ultimately threatens the future of the country’s children. Speaking at an engagement with religious leaders at the National Police Headquarters on Friday, August 14, the IGP said religious leaders had a critical role to play in maintaining peace, particularly at a time when tensions could easily be inflamed by speech and actions. He stressed that citizens must not take the law into their own hands when they believe an offence has been committed, insisting that such matters must be reported to the appropriate state institutions.

“No civilised society can survive when individuals take the law into their own hands. When a citizen believes a crime or an offence has been committed, the only righteous path is to report it to statutory authorities and trust the legal process,” he said. Mr Yohunu also emphasised the need to protect both freedom of religion and freedom of expression, while making it clear that those freedoms do not justify violence or unlawful attacks against individuals.

“Every individual has a right to practice their faith without fear of violence,” he said. According to the IGP, although speech that incites religious hatred is restricted under Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), alleged offences must still be dealt with through lawful processes. “While speech that incites religious hatred is restricted under Article 20 of the ICCPR, due process and prohibition of extrajudicial harm, no suspect under state custody or in the public space may be subjected to torture, cruel treatment, or assault,” he said.

Mr Yohunu, therefore, appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders to use their platforms to calm tensions and discourage their congregations, particularly young people, from resorting to violence. “Our revered clergy and the imams, our beloved chief imam, they listen to your sermons, read your social media posts, and follow your gestures,” he said. He warned that the influence of religious leaders could either help prevent conflict or worsen tensions depending on the messages they put out.

“At this fragile moment, your words can either act as water upon an emerging fire or as petrol upon dying embers. Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno has called on Christian and Muslim leaders across Ghana to use their moral authority to de-escalate growing religious tensions, warning that provocative speech, vigilante retaliation and violence could undermine the country’s long-standing reputation for peaceful coexistence. Speaking at an engagement between the IGP, the Police Management Board (POMAB) and religious leaders on Friday, August 14, Mr Yohuno said Ghana was facing a moment of “profound tension” as religious friction intensified across both traditional and digital media platforms.

He said the recent incidents, including provocative comments about the Holy Prophet Muhammad, calls for extrajudicial violence and the assault of a handcuffed Christian cleric, had tested the country’s commitment to tolerance and the rule of law. “We gather in a moment of profound tension, a moment where the foundational peace of our beloved republic is being severely tested,” the IGP said. According to him, the developments of the past week had left many Ghanaians deeply concerned, particularly because the incidents had crossed religious lines and threatened to inflame relations between the country’s two major faith communities.