UFO Calls for Government to Rescue Vulnerable Citizens from Streets

The Universal Friendship Organisation (UFO) has sounded the alarm, urging the government and health authorities to take immediate action to rescue individuals with severe mental health challenges living on the nation’s streets. In a press release issued on February 21, 2026, UFO President Mr. Samuel Adobah described the situation as a “national crisis and a humanitarian failure”, emphasizing that the increasing visibility of this vulnerable population poses a direct threat to public safety and human dignity.

According to UFO’s observations, citizens living with mental health conditions are being left to fend for themselves in deplorable conditions, with reports of individuals defecating in public, consuming harmful substances, and engaging in hazardous activities. “We are witnessing a tragedy unfold in real-time,” Mr. Adobah stated. “We have abandoned our most vulnerable citizens to the streets. This is not only a security risk to the public, but a profound violation of the rights and dignity of these individuals.”

UFO is calling for a coordinated emergency response, urging the government to trigger a nationwide street rescue operation to remove individuals with severe mental health challenges from the streets and provide them with emergency shelter and long-term rehabilitation. The organisation is also advocating for increased access to professional care, enforcement of existing policies, and the establishment of a National Mental Health Check-ups Day.

“The situation is dire, and we cannot afford to wait,” Mr. Adobah emphasized. “We must act decisively to clear the streets and heal the wounds of our society. True friendship and peace begin with how we treat our most vulnerable.”

The UFO President highlighted that mental health is a critical public health issue requiring a collective, compassionate, and immediate response, not neglect. While acknowledging existing frameworks like the Mental Health Authority Act, UFO asserts that a failure in implementation has led to this breaking point.

UFO’s appeal is directed at His Excellency the President, the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, the Mental Health Authority, all Psychiatric Hospitals, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, and all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). The organisation stands ready to support the government and all stakeholders in this endeavour and is urging civil society, religious bodies, and the private sector to join in advocating for the rights and dignity of these individuals.

“This is a test of our national character,” Mr. Adobah concluded. “Together, we must act to rescue our vulnerable citizens and create a society that values the dignity of all individuals.”