The Member of Parliament for Effia, Isaac Yaw Boamah-Nyarko, has called for strengthened national security measures and enhanced public vigilance following the alleged exploitation of Ghanaian women by a foreign national.

Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews on Saturday, February 21, Mr Boamah-Nyarko referenced Ghana’s existing legal framework, noting that the Cybersecurity Act was enacted to address precisely such offences.

“I think we passed the Cybersecurity Act to confront some of these issues, and you said the sanctions are very high, punitive enough,” he stated.

However, he acknowledged the jurisdictional challenge facing Ghanaian authorities, as the suspect is reportedly outside the country.

“Unfortunately the person is not in the jurisdiction for us to prosecute, but be that as it may, I think the diplomatic channels that have been triggered by the state are very welcome,” he said.

He described as significant the reported move by the government to summon Ghana’s Ambassador to Russia to address the matter.

“The fact that they have summoned the Ambassador to Russia to come and speak to the issues is very, very important,” he emphasised.

According to the MP, engagement with the Russian authorities could provide alternative legal avenues.

“Engaging the Russian government — whether the Russian constitution allows for extradition or what have you — I think that is for the Russians. I think that is also a crime in Russia,” he noted.

He further pointed to principles of international law which, he said, could allow Russian authorities to prosecute the suspect within their own jurisdiction.

“You know international law; they can decide to prosecute the gentleman even in their jurisdiction for the offences that he has committed here in Ghana,” he added.

Beyond the immediate legal and diplomatic dimensions, Mr Boamah-Nyarko stressed the need for a broader review of Ghana’s security architecture.

“But the broader conversation I am interested in is the security architecture for our country. We pay so much into national security, we pay so much into intelligence gathering, and so the security should take a cue to strengthen our internal security,” he argued.

He also emphasised the importance of public education and community vigilance, suggesting that earlier reporting might have prevented the alleged abuse.

“We should also do a lot of education. A lot of things we see go wrong and we find it very reluctant to report,” he said.

The lawmaker indicated that investigations might reveal that warning signs were overlooked.

“I believe if this thing is being played now and we go out there to do some investigations, people would have told you that ‘I saw him do this’. Maybe one or two people might even have confronted him to free some of these ladies he was trying to accost,” he stated.