Kenneth Baye addressing journalists
A total of 50 custom counter-terrorism officers, made up of 46 men and 4 women have graduated after a three-week training.
The trained officers will work with other security agencies such as the Ghana Immigration Service, National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), and the Ghana Police Service to fight terrorism
Chief Revenue Officer, Customs Preventive of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Kenneth Baye, indicated that with the uprising of terrorist attacks across the Sahel region, it has become pertinent for the authority to equip officers of the customs counter-terrorism unit to safeguard the border regions of the country.
Furthermore, the Chief Revenue Officer lamented the insufficient logistics to help equip and train officers to combat terrorist attacks.
“We call on the government to as a matter of urgency equip us with the necessary logistics to help bring our officers up-to-speed with the changing dynamics used by our terrorists to safeguard our borders” he added.
Commander of the Customs Counter-Terrorism Unit of GRA, Benjamin Bekai indicated that the officers during their intensive training demonstrated exceptional integrity, courage, dedication, and a deep sense of duty that aligned perfectly with the values that define the Unit.
“You are reminded of your duty to be bound by a common purpose, obey reasonable instructions, united by a shared commitment to protect our nation, and guided by the principles that define us,” he added.
Deputy Director of the National Counter-Terrorism Fusion Centre, Ministry of National Security, Daniel Osei Bonsu, said the country currently sits at the preventive stage therefore training was a priority and time-bound to protect the country’s borders.
He said the Ministry would make preventive measures a kinetic approach, thus implementing policies such as the “See Something Say Something” initiative to make the fight against terrorism a non-weaponised affair.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke