Despite the warning by the Ghana Police Service against the patronage of explosives, to some people Christmas cannot be celebrated without lighting the night skies with the beautiful multi-coloured radiance of loud fire crackers.
As the yuletide inches closer to its peak, the sounds of fire crackers have become a daily ritual in many areas within the Accra metropolis.
Regardless of the threat by the police to clamp down on sellers, the explosives, which come in various shapes and sizes, are on open display at the major markets such as Makola, Kaneshie and Madina, as well as on table tops and in stalls within the communities.Â
A release issued in Accra on November 19, 2015, and signed by DCOP David Ampah-Bennin, the outgoing Director General of Police Public Affairs, admonished members of the general public to desist from purchasing, possessing or using fire explosives.
The release also entreated prospective importers and dealers of explosives to desist from importing and selling them.
DCOP Ampah-Bennin warned that possessing the explosives is a violation of Executive Instrument (E.I) 21 of 1999 which prohibits the manufacture, possession or carriage of any kind of explosives.
He said the possession of explosives could attract a fine or custodial sentences for users should the explosives result in physical damage to a person or property.
He, therefore, entreated the general public to co-operate with the police for an incident-free Christmas and New Year festivities.
DSP Freeman Tettey, the Police Public Relations Officer, also told The Mirror that the police would soon embark on a raid to seize all types of explosives on the market.
He dispelled rumours that some types of explosives do not fall under the ban and maintained that all explosives are illegal.
DSP Tettey said explosives had over the years been identified as one of the causes of fire accidents.
“Many homes have recorded fatalities because of explosives. Some children throw them under cars and other combustibles and the results are always devastating,†he said.
He said the major challenge facing the police in its fight against the use of explosives was the permeable nature of the country’s borders.
“All the explosives are smuggled into the country and the police service is committed to intensifying the fight against this illegal importation,†DSP Tettey said.