Sankofaonline News Desk : December 10 , 2026
Ghana has endured its share of political drama, but rarely has the nation witnessed a parliamentary leader so willing to gamble with public fear for political mileage. The latest claims by Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin, alleging a surge in missing children, vanishing schoolchildren, and disappearing young adults, mark a dangerous escalation in a long pattern of reckless public conduct.
This is not oversight.
This is not leadership.
This is a national security hazard.
For years, Afenyo-Markin has operated with a level of impunity that would stun any functioning democracy. Ghanaians have not forgotten the disturbing incident in which he slapped a police officer on duty in public, an act that would have landed any ordinary citizen in handcuffs. Yet he walked away untouched. Nor have citizens forgotten the string of unsubstantiated accusations he has hurled at institutions and individuals, claims that collapse the moment they are subjected to basic scrutiny.
But this time, the consequences are far more severe.
To stand before the nation and declare, without verified data, that Ghana is experiencing a wave of disappearances is not just irresponsible. It is incendiary. It is the political equivalent of shouting “fire” in a crowded marketplace.
In a country where misinformation spreads like wildfire, where communities are already strained by economic pressures, and where trust in institutions is fragile, such statements can trigger panic, suspicion, and social unrest. Parents panic. Schools become anxious. Communities turn inward. Security agencies are unfairly maligned. And Ghana’s international image takes yet another needless hit.
If the Minority Leader possesses credible evidence, he must present it. If he does not, then he has deliberately misled the nation , and that is a matter that cannot be brushed aside as political banter.
Ghana cannot afford leaders who treat national security as a prop.
Ghana cannot afford leaders who weaponize fear.
Ghana cannot afford leaders who believe they can manufacture crisis without consequence.
Afenyo-Markin has enjoyed a long, comfortable honeymoon with impunity. But this latest episode crosses a line that no responsible democracy should tolerate. The safety of children is not a political toy. The stability of the nation is not a stage for dramatic monologues. And the credibility of our security agencies cannot be sacrificed on the altar of political theatrics.
The authorities must act. Parliament must act. Civil society must act. Ghana must send a clear message: Leadership is not a license for recklessness.
Reckless statements like these do not protect the vulnerable, they endanger them. They do not strengthen democracy, they weaken it. They do not hold government accountable, they destabilize the nation.
Ghana deserves leaders who build confidence, not chaos. Leaders who speak truth, not terror. Leaders who understand that words carry weight, especially when spoken from the highest offices of the land.
Afenyo-Markin’s latest claims are not just irresponsible.They are a threat to national security; and Ghana must not allow this to pass, not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
