National Chairman of the PNC, Bernard Mornah has berated leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for inviting the three South African ex-police officers into the country.

According to him, the leadership of NPP should have considered the delicate nature of the country's security and procedures guiding such conducts before inviting them.

He said it is important the leadership of NPP desists from creating discomfort for the security agencies ahead of the November polls.

On March 20, BNI officials arrested three ex-police officers in the Central region for engaging in what the BNI calls suspicious acts deemed as a threat to national security.

According to a BNI document sent to JOYNEWS, “The trio, all ex-police officers were engaged in training fifteen young men in various military drills, including unarmed combat, weapon handling, VIP protection techniques and rapid response maneuvers”.

The three men, Chris Hazis (Rtd.) 54 and named by the BNI as Major Ahmed Shaik, WO/Denver Dwayhe Naidu (Rtd.) 39, and Captain Mlungiseleli Jokani (Rtd.) 45 were picked up at the El Capitano Hotel at Agona Duakwa in the Central region.

The South African High Commission initiated diplomatic contacts to the Foreign Affairs Ministry on March 22 seeking access to the men who are in the custody of the BNI.

According to officials of the High Commission, access to the men will enable them to take the fingerprints and DNA details to crosscheck their citizen status from the national citizen database in South Africa.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs is scheduled to meet officials of the High Commission today, March 23, JOYNEWS has confirmed.

Speaking to JOYNEWS, Deputy Communication Director of NPP, Perry Okudzeto admitted the party invited the three but discredited the report of BNI alleging the men were invited to fan insecurity in the country.

He said the men were brought in by a registered local security company, Delta Force Security, adding that they have the credential for training security operatives for VVIPs such as former South African Presidents, Nelson Mandela, and Thabo Mbeki.

However, Mr Mornah said any party preparing to form government has to ensure that it does not create insecurity in the country.

The NPP’s attitude in his view portrays a lack of confidence in the security agencies in the country.

“We in the PNC have confidence in the security agencies, may have problems with some actions of the security agencies at certain point in time but we cannot say because of that we will not work with them.”

The National chairman of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) Nii Allotey Brew-Hammond said there is everything wrong with the NPP’s move.

He said if at all the NPP wanted a private security for its presidential candidate, it should have obtained the services of those in the country and not from South Africa.

“I don’t think our laws permit foreigners to be working here on that basis and I don’t think our immigrations laws allow that to be done,” he said.

Meanwhile the chairman of Parliament’s Defense and Interior Committee, Fritz Baffour says the practice of political parties setting –up private security groups is a recipe for disaster.

“I think the way the major minority party has gone is a little wrong. In this era of non-state actors being a big threat to nations, I think we have to be very circumspect in how we go about getting our security done.

“I don’t agree at all to any security agency aligned to a political party, it is a recipe for disaster, it is totally wrong,” he added.

He however agrees that every presidential candidate be provided with some form of security but “even if you’re going to make your private arrangements, you have to notify the authorities about it.”