Kwame Asuah Takyi, Comptroller-General of Immigration
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has taken exception to an alleged incidence of extortions at inland checkpoints, especially in the northern parts of the country.
Reacting to the alleged occurrences, the GIS stated “it has come to the attention of the Management of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) that some Officers stationed at the Immigration Inland Checkpoints are alleged to be extorting monies from members of the public, especially at the Northern frontiers of the country.”
The statement pointed out that the objective of the inland checkpoints are “to serve as a second layer of passenger profiling to be able to counter any entry of extremist groups into the country, to safeguard national security and also for the safety of the traveling public.”
The inland checkpoints, the statement went on, are technically a part of the border lines with security protocols that members of the traveling public are expected to follow.
Members of the public who are extorted by any Immigration Officer at any of the inland checkpoints should take note of his or her name tag and the duty post where it occurred and report same to the nearest Immigration Service Office or the Immigration Professional Standards and Ethics Section at the Regional or National Headquarters, the statement added.
Management of the GIS has, in view of the allegation, “cautioned Commanders at the various Regions and Sectors to ensure that Officers posted to these checkpoints conduct themselves professionally.”