The Ghana Police Service has denied claim of facilitating a smuggled cocoa consignment at the Missiga Immigration Service checkpoint in Bawku.
On Wednesday, October 9, a misunderstanding ensued among personnel of the Ghana Police Service, the Customs Division of GRA and the Ghana Armed Forces over an intercepted consignment of smuggled cocoa bags at the Missiga Immigration Service checkpoint.
According to reliable security sources, tempers flared up after some police officers refused to allow their counterparts from Customs to inspect the content of a truck moving into neighbouring Togo.
The disagreement led to the firing of gunshots after the police was accused of facilitating the smuggled consignment.
The police in a statement issued on October 10 said the accusations are untrue.
“For the record, the police recently intercepted smuggled cocoa beans on two occasions within the region, and the intercepted consignments were handed over to COCOBOD, while the suspects are currently being persecuted by the Police. It is, therefore, untrue that the Police were in any way facilitating the smuggled consignments, as being claimed,” the statement noted.
Police personnel intercepted the smuggled cocoa consignment on October 9 at the Missiga security checkpoint at Bawku.
According to the statement, police officers were in the process of escorting the truck to the Bawku Divisional Police Command when the disagreement ensued.
A video available to TV3 show gunshots being heard and fired during the scuffle among the three security agencies.
The police say “in the aftermath of the incident, the leadership of the three state security institutions promptly intervened to resolve the matter at the national level to maintain harmony and restore cooperation among the agencies.”
