The Kofi-Badukrom border post along the Ghana-Cote D’Ivoire lines in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region is fully fortified to control illegal entry, as the AFCON 2023 tournament progresses in Abidjan, the Ivorian capital.
According to Mr A Yahaya Alhassan, the newly elected Assemblyman for Kofi-Badukrom Electoral Area, the visibility presence of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) at the post and three other checkpoints in the area had strengthened surveillance in the border lines.
In an interview with the GNA Sports at Kofi-Badukrom, he said “our eyes are wide open to apprehend individuals who attempted to cross illegally to Abidjan to watch the AFCON matches”.
“With intensified surveillance one can use or cross the border only with the relevant traveling documents. The security people are well positioned and any attempt to cross the border illegally would not work”, Mr Alhassan stated when he briefed the GNA Sports on measures put in place to secure the border.
He indicated even natives and residents along the border towns, interested to watch the matches or support the national team, the Black Stars, had to join supporters and some officials of the Aduana FC at Dormaa-Ahenkro to seek for the relevant documentation before they could travel to that country and watch the matches.
Officials of the Aduana FC have made special arrangements and have been mobilising football fans and supporters from Techiman, Sunyani, Bechem and other places to join buses to watch the matches and support the Black Stars in Cote D’Ivoire.
According to him the “the euphoria around the communities have reached a fever pitch since the tournament started”, stressing the “Ivorians have since hoisted their national flags at their checkpoints close to the Kofibadukrom border community”.
“In fact, the Ghanaians and neigbouring Ivorians within the Kofibadukrom community are one people, as they lived and regarded themselves as families”, Mr Alhassan stated.
He assured to play an instrumental role towards facilitating an effective collaboration between security operatives, traditional authorities and key stakeholders to maintain and strengthen the prevailing peace of the area, during and beyond the AFCON 2023.
