Tamale Metro urges responsible sermons and media reporting during Ramadan

The Tamale Metropolitan Security Committee (METSEC) has urged Islamic clerics and media practitioners in the area to ensure responsible preaching and reporting during and after the Ramadan period to safeguard peace and security.

The directive was contained in a press statement issued by the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and signed by Alhaji Adam Abubakari Takoro, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive. The statement follows an emergency METSEC meeting held on Thursday, February 26, 2026, in Tamale.

The meeting brought together eminent chiefs, Muslim clerics, representatives of the Muslim Council, the National Peace Council and members of the media. Participants agreed unanimously on measures aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence and preventing tensions during the holy month.

The statement directed that Islamic sermons should focus strictly on teachings from the Qur’an and Hadith and avoid personal attacks and hate speech.

It said leaders of the various Islamic groups who attended the meeting were expected to communicate the decisions reached to their followers and branches and ensure strict compliance with the communiqué.

According to the statement, clerics who were absent from the meeting are also bound by the decisions taken.

METSEC cautioned media owners, producers, presenters and reporters to avoid sensational reporting and ensure responsible and professional coverage of religious matters to prevent inflaming tensions.

The statement said that as part of efforts to promote lasting peace and security in the Tamale Metropolis, the committee indicated that further engagements would be undertaken to develop bylaws to regulate sermons.

It said no individual or group should take the law into their own hands in the face of any provocation. “No one is above the law. Any person who feels provoked should report the matter to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for the necessary action without fear or favour.”

The statement said security agencies would intensify monitoring of sermons broadcast through mosque public address systems.

It warned that any person or group found culpable of violating the directive would face the full rigours of the law.

The statement called on all stakeholders to cooperate to ensure strict compliance with the directives to maintain peace, law and order in the Metropolis.