Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno has called on Christian and Muslim leaders to take a more active role in safeguarding Ghana’s peace rather than limiting their efforts to preaching tolerance.
He said religious leaders wield significant influence, particularly over young people, and could use that influence to prevent religious disagreements and social tensions from escalating into violence.
The IGP made the call on Friday, August 14, 2026, when he met Christian and Muslim leaders at the National Police Headquarters.
He urged religious leaders to promote interfaith understanding, discourage acts of intolerance and help restore public confidence in the country’s justice institutions.
As part of his appeal, IGP Yohuno asked religious leaders to dedicate their regular worship services to messages that promote peaceful coexistence and warn against the consequences of religious conflict.
He specifically encouraged Muslim leaders to use Friday sermons and Christian leaders to use Sunday services to emphasise interfaith harmony, self-discipline and the need to protect Ghana’s peace.
“Dedicate your Friday sermons in Islam, and Sunday sermons strictly to messages of interfaith harmony, self-control and the danger of religious conflict,” he said.
The IGP also urged religious leaders to remind their congregations that any action that undermines national peace could have lasting consequences for future generations.
“Remind your congregations that an attack on the peace of Ghana is an attack on the future of their own children,” he said.
Beyond preaching unity, IGP Yohuno called on Christian and Muslim leaders to demonstrate their solidarity publicly.
He encouraged them to attend each other’s events, share meals and issue joint statements when necessary to show that religious differences should not become a source of division.
“Let the public see Christians and Islamic leaders standing together, sharing meals, issuing joint statements and walking through our communities hand in hand. Show the youth that diversity of faith is strength, not a fault line,” he said.
According to him, visible cooperation among religious leaders could have a strong influence on young people and reinforce the message that religious diversity can strengthen rather than weaken the country.
The IGP further appealed to religious leaders to discourage their followers from resorting to violence or taking the law into their own hands when faced with allegations of wrongdoing.
He urged them to encourage their congregations to report disputes and suspected offences to the appropriate state institutions instead of resorting to mob attacks, online harassment or physical violence.
“Reaffirm trust in statutory justice, not online harassment or physical violence,” he said.
He added that allowing state institutions to investigate and resolve alleged offences should be regarded as responsible citizenship rather than a sign of weakness.
“Teach them that trusting the state to resolve offences is a mark of civic maturity and religious wisdom,” he said.
IGP Yohuno also cautioned against taking Ghana’s relative peace for granted, citing conflicts elsewhere in West Africa where unresolved tensions and minor disagreements had eventually escalated into widespread violence.
“Just look around our West African subregion. We see nations where small sparks were allowed to fester until they grew into infernos of civil strife, destroying communities, markets, schools and places of worship,” he said.
He noted that Ghana’s stability had been sustained over the years because successive generations had chosen dialogue and cooperation over confrontation.
“Ghana has been spared this tragedy not because we are immune to disagreement, but because generations before us chose to dialogue over destruction and brotherhood over peace,” he said.
The IGP therefore urged the religious community to use its influence to prevent hostility from taking root and help strengthen confidence in Ghana’s institutions.
“Let us make this matter serve as a clear reminder that the law works and let this meeting mark the end of hostility,” he said.
