A NABCO officer attached to the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at the Aflao Border, Mr. Joseph Akuffo has been beaten to pulp by immigration officers for questioning them on why they take money from travellers.
According to an eyewitness, on Tuesday, December 14, immigration officers in plain uniforms wielding guns and stationed at the main border subjected the NABCO trainee to severe beatings for allegedly blowing their cover.
In a-14-seconds video sent to Republic Press, the scene shows about five immigration officers holding guns and dragging Mr. Akuffo from the Customs Excise and Preventive Service to the Immigration Division at the border but was assisted by two casual workers in brown uniforms.
The video clearly shows a tussle between Mr. Akuffo and the Immigration Officers. One of the Immigration Officers fired a warning shot to scare the victim and the two colleagues trying to save.
In the video the immigration officers were clearly heard shouting “You go go,” while the victim and his two assisted casual workers equally responded “he no go go anywhere.”
After the incident, a picture of Mr. Akuffo was seen with bruises all over his body after the five immigration officers vented their anger on him.
Narrating the incident to the Republic Press, a custom officer who pleaded on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Akuffo is a NABCO trainee attached to the Customs Excise and Preventive Service and specifically stationed at the beach where locals always cross to Togo or Ghana.
The officer alleged that ever since the President announced the closer of the inland borders amid Covid-19, immigration officers stationed at the Aflao Border have turned the place to a money-making machine where locals pay between GH₡5.00 and GH₡10.00 before they are allowed to cross the main border while foreigners are charged GH₡50.00 and above.
He alleged further that after immigration officers realized that some people still use unapproved routes to enter Ghana or Togo, the senior officers map up strategies where junior ranks officers were deployed to man these unapproved routes to stop people from using them leaving the main border as the only route to access Ghana or Togo.
“This is done so that anyone who wants to cross to these two countries would be forced to use the main border where the senior officers were stationed to extract monies. So it was one of these occasions, Mr. Akuffo confronted one ASI Aduse at the border why monies are being taken from those who can pay whiles those who cannot are returned,” he stated.
He added that after questioning the officer, immigration officers at the border took offense at his action on what authority does the NABCO trainee has to question them so ASI Aduse sent for him to answer but the victim sensing danger refused to honor his invitation hence the reverse force of being dragged by five officers.
All attempt to speak to ASI Aduse proved futile, a call placed to the National Public Relation unit to speak about the matter also went unanswered after many attempts.
