The Ghana Police Service has responded to some self-styled prophets who expressed dissatisfaction with the Inspector General of Police’s caution to them against creating fear and panic with their New Year’s Eve prophecies as had been the practice over the years.

Some pastors known for their 31st-night doomsday predictions like Rev Owusu Bempah, Nigel Gaisie, Badu Kobi, Elisha Salifu Amoako among others, described the IGP’s caution as an attack on the church.

They said the IGP needed to be educated on the work of prophets.  

Despite their anger, they largely complied with the caution as the usual doomsday prophecies were missing in their watch night services on 31 December 2021. 

Reacting to the anger expressed by some of the self-styled prophets, the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Alexander Obeng, told Kofi Oppong Asamoah on the Class Morning Show on Class91.3FM on Wednesday, 5 January 2022 that the IGP’s caution was not a directive but a reminder of existing laws.

It “wasn’t a directive; it was a reminder that we have existing laws”, he said, adding: “… And in any way, when Moses was giving these things to the Israelites, some were happy, some were not and that is it.” 

He said: “Ghanaians were pointed to the fact that we have laws that prevent people from violating their rights from fear”. 

“Don’t let us belittle the position Ghanaians took”, he pointed out, explaining: “Fear can restrict and can conquer and defeat and the devil uses it”. 

“And, so if Ghanaians have realised it and said, ‘no’, it does not rest on any individual, timorous soul, as fallen as I am or he is, to use certain words; and give evidence, you can’t give; you’ll say we should go to the spirit world. Who told you that…?” 

“That’s why Ghanaians stated that you cannot, as a timorous soul in Ghana, utter words, statements, anything without giving evidence when it violates someone’s right; you cannot do that in Ghana…”, he added.