More than 300 arrested over alleged extremist recruitment at Ghana’s northern border – Agalga

More than 300 people were arrested in connection with alleged extremist recruitment attempts along Ghana’s northern border between 2023 and 2025, the chairman of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, James Agalga, has said.

Mr Agalga said the Ghana Armed Forces and other security agencies also recorded 47 cross-border incursions during the three-year period.

He presented the figures as evidence of the growing security pressure on Ghana’s northern frontier amid violent extremist activity elsewhere in the sub-region.

“In Ghana, we have remained relatively stable, but we are not insulated,” Mr Agalga said.

“The Ghana Armed Forces and security agencies recorded 47 cross-border incursions and over 300 arrests linked to extremist recruitment attempts along our northern border between 2023 and 2025.”

Mr Agalga disclosed the figures at the ninth REPAM-CDS Security Governance Conference, where he called for stronger border protection, intelligence gathering and security governance.

He warned that Ghana’s relative stability should not lead to complacency, particularly because of its proximity to countries confronting violent extremism.

The supplied information does not identify those arrested, their nationalities or the specific locations where the operations took place.

It also does not state whether any of those arrested were charged, prosecuted or convicted. The arrests should therefore not be treated as proof that the individuals were members of extremist organisations.

No details were provided about the nature of the 47 incursions, the groups allegedly involved or whether they resulted in casualties or damage.

Mr Agalga said the threats facing Ghana were no longer limited to conventional security challenges.

He pointed to what he described as a 12.3% increase in cybercrime and fraud cases in 2024 as evidence that the country was also confronting expanding non-traditional threats.

“At the same time, our 2024 crime statistics show a 12.3 percent increase in cybercrime and fraud cases, highlighting the shift to non-traditional threats,” he said.

“These data points tell us one thing: threats are transnational, asymmetric and they test the very governance structures we are mandated to oversee.”

Mr Agalga argued that Ghana must strengthen its security and governance systems to prevent extremist networks from establishing a foothold in the country.

The figures raise questions about the scale of alleged recruitment activity, the identities of the groups suspected of operating near the border and what happened to the people arrested.