Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia says government will not negotiate with members of the Homeland Study Group Foundation in the Volta Region.

This follows their demand for independence from Ghana to form an autonomous ‘Western Togoland.’

But according to the Vice President, the motives behind what he refers to as “criminal activities” are nonexistent.

He said, their attempts are backed by blatant envy which will jeopardise the peace being enjoyed in the country.

In an interview on Asempa FM's Ekosiisen Wednesday, the Vice President stressed that negotiating “with criminals does not make sense.”

According to him, other mechanisms are in place to bar them from undertaking further acts of vandalism.

“What we need is intelligence, and then government will try to deal with this. We have invested greatly into achieving this feat,” he added.

His comments are, however, contrary to the advice by security analyst Col. Festus Aboagye (Rtd), who has called on government to engage in a critical dialogue with the perpetrators.

Col. Festus Aboagye (Rtd) said he believes that alongside the deployment of security personnel to the affected areas, rolling out communication channels by the two parties is imperative to finding long-lasting solutions to the matter.

But the Vice President insists the issue is under control.

“I am very confident and comfortable with the work and reports that the security agencies have done so far. In fact, they’ve foiled things that could have been worse already,” he said.

Dr Bawumia further urged the general public to join hands in supporting the forces to carry out their duties in restoring calm to the region.