Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured of his readiness to set-up a neutral committee to investigate reports of alleged military intimidation in some border communities in the Volta region during a recent national security operations along the country’s borders.
The committee, according to the President, will have three Chiefs from the Volta Region as members of the committee to ensure a fair and transparent investigation of the allegations.
The President who made the announcement during a Durbar of the Chiefs and People of the Anlo State at Anloga last Thursday said, although the operation was to tighten security in the wake of security threats like importation of COVID-19 and terrorism, some Chiefs had met him in a private meeting at the Jubilee House to raise concerns regarding the deployment.
For the sake of fairness, the President noted that he allowed the Chiefs from the Volta Regional House of Chiefs led by its President, Nana Soglo Alloh IV and Togbe Afede XIV (President of the National House of Chiefs) to have an open and frank discussion with himself and other government officials.
Based on the preliminary discussions, the President suggested to them the establishment of a neutral committee which will include three nominees from the Volta Regional House of Chiefs.
This preliminary agreement between the parties he said, was yet to be fulfilled to allow for the next phase of the discussions.
He said although some public statements had been made by some Chiefs about the confidential discussion which was still ongoing, he is still ready to go ahead with the setting up of the committee whenever the Chiefs are ready to present their nominees for the issues to be resolved thoroughly.
He said, “Suffice it to say I am going to go ahead if the Chiefs are still prepared to submit their three nominees as was agreed to constitute this committee, to resolve quickly all the issues to reassure everybody.”
He was hopeful that the issues raised by the Chiefs, particularly “the matter of the border post at Leklebi-Kame which provoked such controversy” will be resolved as well as the “incident in the town of Honuta which gave birth to the allegation of military harassment.”
President Akufo-Addo also stressed that after the findings of the committee have been assessed, “corrective measures if called for, will be instituted.”
Government closed the country’s borders in March this year when the country recorded its first novel coronavirus.
Despite the closure, the Volta region recorded its first COVID-19 cases from Ketu South after some foreigners with the help of residents entered the country illegally through unapproved routes.
Similar cases were recorded in other border communities along the Northern boundary of the country.
Immigration and Customs Officials across the country requested for a beef-up of operations along the frontiers.
This led to the deployment of about 1000 military personnel out of which about 160 were deployed in the Volta region.
The deployment which coincided with the voters registration exercise according to some residents and chiefs was targeted at intimidating residents. Although several arrests had been made regarding foreigners entering illegally and some even registering for voters card, evidence of intimidation have been scanty apart from social media videos, audios and wild ethnocentric allegations from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who benefit from the uproar due to the Volta Region being their stronghold.
Togbe Afede XIV said in a recent meeting at his Palace that he led some Chiefs to investigate the claims along the border communities. The findings, he added were presented to the President in a meeting few weeks ago.
From Fred Duodu, Anloga (k.duodu@gmail.com)