Ghana’s National Security Coordinator, DCOP Osman Abdul-Razak, has issued a stern rebuke of unprofessional conduct by some operatives under his command, describing their behaviour as “very disgraceful” and harmful to the integrity of the National Security Secretariat.
Speaking at a high-level meeting with members of the National House of Chiefs on Friday, August 1, DCOP Abdul-Razak did not hold back in criticising certain personnel whose actions, he said, have brought the Secretariat into disrepute.
“It is very disgraceful the way sometimes our boys are found behaving in strange ways,” he lamented. “These are not the standards we stand for.”
In a bid to restore confidence and professionalism, the Coordinator announced a major strategic shift in how the National Security Secretariat operates. Under the new plan, operatives will no longer be directly deployed in ground operations unless absolutely necessary.
Instead, frontline responsibilities will be led by the traditional security services, including the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, and the Ghana Prisons Service while the Secretariat will return to its core role of coordination.
“We have changed our modus operandi,” Abdul-Razak stated. “The National Security will now allow the various security agencies to operate directly on the ground and will only intervene when challenges arise.”
The Coordinator explained that the change is part of the government’s broader “reset agenda,” which is aimed at professionalising Ghana’s security architecture, reducing inter-agency friction, and restoring public trust.
“Previously, you would find National Security involved in operations meant for other security agencies. That is wrong,” he said. “National Security, as it is properly known, should coordinate, not take over. We are at the top of the security architecture and should act as such.”
The decision comes amid increasing public scrutiny over the role of national security operatives, with recent incidents involving alleged misconduct raising concern about accountability and oversight.
The National House of Chiefs welcomed the transparency and reaffirmed their support for efforts to professionalise the nation’s security institutions.
