The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has renewed calls on the government to appoint a substantive Defence Minister, warning that the continued failure to do so is leaving Ghana exposed to threats.

His comments follow an attack on fishermen at sea near Senya Beraku in the Awutu Senya District of the Central Region. Armed men reportedly fired multiple warning shots, held the victims at gunpoint, and made away with seven outboard motors, generators and other valuables.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews' The Pulse on Thursday, Rev. Ntim Fordjour described the situation as alarming and blamed what he termed a leadership vacuum in the defence sector.

“Piracy is becoming a growing concern. The crisis in the defence sector is alarming. For the past few months, we have urged the President to appoint a substantive Minister of Defence. The failure to do so has made our country vulnerable to external threats," he said.

According to him, "It is reckless and dangerous that the President has taken no action in this regard. The message we are sending to external actors is that we do not take our defence seriously.”

Rev. Ntim Fordjour added that the increasing incidents of insecurity point to broader structural weaknesses that require urgent political attention. He stressed that the absence of a substantive Defence Minister undermines coordination and strategic direction at a time when Ghana faces evolving security threats both within and beyond its borders.

The Member of Parliament for Assin South described the latest attack as evidence of growing lapses in Ghana’s defence and security sector after Ghanaian tomato traders were attacked in Burkina Faso, killing eight.