The Africa Centre for Security and Counterterrorism (ACSC) has commended the leadership of the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) for its handling of an internal investigation that reportedly led to the dismissal of six operatives, the demotion of one officer and the exoneration of another over a contraband network operating within the Bureau’s detention facilities.
In a statement responding to reports of the disciplinary action, ACSC praised the BNI for investigating the breach and applying its internal disciplinary procedures, while urging other security agencies to strengthen their controls against corruption and insider threats.
The reported investigation uncovered a network of personnel allegedly accepting payments to smuggle mobile phones and other prohibited items to suspects held in BNI custody.
ACSC said the response demonstrated the importance of confronting misconduct within security institutions rather than allowing it to go unaddressed.
“The Bureau did not conceal the breach or allow it to be quietly absorbed,” the centre stated.
It added that the Bureau had investigated the incident, traced the leads, applied its service code through due disciplinary process and imposed sanctions based on individual culpability.
The centre also welcomed reports that the BNI had introduced polygraph testing and strengthened internal controls following the incident.
“This is the standard of accountability Ghanaians should expect of every security institution,” ACSC said.
According to the reports cited by ACSC, the breach was discovered on February 16, 2026, when an officer conducting routine rounds found a detained suspect making a telephone call on a mobile phone.
Subsequent searches of two holding facilities reportedly uncovered at least six mobile phones, accessories and a screwdriver.
Investigators were subsequently led to a wider network after discovering a BNI operative’s telephone number written on the back of a playing card used by detainees.
The reports indicated that compromised staff allegedly accepted payments to provide detainees with mobile phones, including through restaurant food deliveries made outside established procedures.
ACSC described the operation as an organised and sustained enterprise rather than an isolated lapse in discipline.
The centre stressed that the reported misconduct was particularly serious because it involved personnel entrusted with protecting sensitive intelligence operations and maintaining the security of detainees.
While welcoming the disciplinary measures, ACSC cautioned that dismissing the officers involved would not, on its own, address the weaknesses that allowed the network to operate.
The organisation argued that the incident should prompt a broader review of custodial procedures and internal security arrangements across Ghana’s security services.
It warned that mobile phones in the possession of detainees could potentially be used to contact accomplices, intimidate witnesses, interfere with evidence or compromise ongoing investigations.
The recovery of a screwdriver also raised concerns about the possibility of physical harm or escape attempts, according to the centre.
ACSC questioned how the contraband had escaped detection until an officer discovered a detainee using a phone during routine rounds.
“No technical control, audit, or supervisory system detected it; a simple routine check found it,” the statement said.
It added; “A security system that depends on luck is not a security system.”
The centre said the incident highlighted the need for security agencies to rely on effective monitoring systems, regular inspections and strong supervisory procedures rather than chance discoveries.
ACSC called on the National Security Council, the Office of the National Security Coordinator, the Ministry of the Interior and the leadership of the relevant security services to consider measures aimed at preventing similar breaches.
The centre specifically identified police cells, prison facilities, immigration detention centres and border posts as areas where custodial and access-control procedures could benefit from preventive scrutiny.
It clarified that it was not making allegations against those institutions but was urging a system-wide response to the risks exposed by the BNI case.
“Our point is preventive: the BNI case should be treated as a warning to the whole internal security architecture, not as an isolated incident to be closed with six dismissals,” ACSC stated.
Among the measures proposed are regular staff re-vetting, lifestyle audits where appropriate, controlled delivery procedures, electronic logging of cell access, CCTV monitoring and mobile-phone detection systems.
The centre also recommended periodic rotation of custodial personnel and requiring at least two officers to be present during searches and the handling of detainees’ property.
Beyond internal disciplinary action, ACSC said officers suspected of criminal conduct should be referred for prosecution where the available evidence supports such action.
“Dismissal alone returns individuals with insider knowledge to society without accountability, and may leave them in continuing contact with the networks they served,” the statement said.
It also recommended a confidential assessment of communications made using compromised phones to establish whether witnesses, investigators, intelligence sources or ongoing investigations had been placed at risk.
The centre called for stronger confidential reporting channels to enable security personnel to report corrupt colleagues without fear of retaliation, consistent with the Whistleblower Act, 2006 (Act 720).
It further urged authorities to consider the welfare of frontline personnel as part of broader security planning, arguing that poor conditions of service could increase vulnerability to inducement.
ACSC also proposed that relevant parliamentary committees be briefed in appropriate closed sessions on the incident and the wider state of custodial integrity across internal security agencies.
The centre said the incident presented Ghana with an opportunity to strengthen accountability and improve the systems used to safeguard detainees, officers and sensitive investigations.
It called on security practitioners, policymakers, Parliament, civil society and the media to participate in a national discussion on internal security controls.
ACSC said it was prepared to contribute its expertise to the process, stressing that the objective should be to build systems capable of identifying and preventing misconduct before it escalates.
“The next step is to ensure the same discipline is built into systems, so the next breach in any agency is caught by design rather than by accident,” the centre stated.
