Interior Minister Defends Plan to Overhaul National Security Law

By Esther Korantemaa Offei

The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed- Mubarak, has defended government’s decision to overhaul existing national security legislation rather than pursue several amendments to the current law.

Speaking in an interview after the issue was raised on the floor of Parliament, the Minister explained that the number of proposed changes to the law has grown significantly, making a complete review more practical.

According to him, revising the law in its entirety provides an opportunity to address several concerns that may have been overlooked when the legislation was initially passed.

“This question has come on the floor of Parliament, and I said that sometimes if you overhaul it, it gives you the opportunity to correct all the other things that might have been passed with the previous one,” he stated.

The sector minister noted that some critics have suggested that government should only amend specific sections of the law instead of replacing it.

However, he argued that the range of issues being raised makes multiple amendments less effective.

“Someone will say if it is about the BNI or NIB, why not call for an amendment? If it is about the function of the Minister, why not just call for an amendment? If it is about including the Narcotics Control Commission and the National Identification Authority at the regional level, why not call for amendment?” he said.

“But if you look at the number of things I’ve mentioned already, they are becoming too many, so why not just take the opportunity to overhaul it?” he added.

The Interior Minister also addressed concerns about what some critics describe as excessive executive influence over the National Security Council.

He explained that the structure of the council is determined by the Constitution, specifically Article 83 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which places national security authority under the President.

“If you look at the way the National Security Council is set up, it is in the Constitution. Article 83 makes it clear that everything virtually sits with the President,” he said.

He further stressed that Parliament cannot use ordinary legislation to alter constitutional provisions.

“You cannot use an Act of Parliament to amend the Constitution. If we want to change it, then we must change it from there,” he noted.

The Interior Minister also cautioned that maintaining both a National Security Coordinator and a substantive Minister for National Security could create institutional conflict.