Police in Ghana have warned religious leaders against making New Year prophecies which can cause fear, anxiety, or death among citizens.
This order came into force last year after the public was scared by predictions of deaths and calamity, a local news site My Joy Online reported.
In a statement, the police commended religious groups for their “cooperation” and for “adopting legally acceptable means for communicating prophecies”.
The Police also said they had adopted 27 December as Prophecy Communication Compliance Day.
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“This day is being set aside to remind all of us to practice our faith within the confines of the law to ensure safe, secure environment, free of anxiety generated from predictions of impending harm, danger or death,” the statement said.
However, a Ghanaian lawyer Sammy Darko said the police order was “illegal.”
“It is not even up for debate or interpretation by the highest court of Ghana. No law in Ghana grants the police administration any powers to regulate prophecies in the country,” he wrote.
“Religious freedom is more than the ‘freedom to worship’ at a synagogue, church, or mosque. It means people shouldn’t have to go against their core values and beliefs to conform to culture or government unless it violates a specific law,” he added.
