Ketu Queen mothers condemn harassments at Aflao border

Ho, Nov. 24, GNA - Queen mothers from Ketu North and South in the Volta Region have called on the authorities of Ghana and Togo to stop their immigration officials from harassing travelers on their common border at Aflao.

The Queen mothers made the call at a press conference in Ho on Tuesday i= n protest against the alleged harassment of travelers by some immigration officials, the latest of which caused Miss Yawa Akakpo, a 23-year-old wom= an pregnant with twins to lose her pregnancy at the border on November 16 th= is year. "It was the last straw that broke the camel's back. If you see a toad jumping about in the day time, then either something is pursuing it or it= is chasing something", Mama Ayaba II of Adafienu told the journalists at the=

press conference. She was flanked by eight other Queen mothers from the District who were clad in black cloth and red head-gears. The Queen mothers recounted a string of unpleasant incidents involving t= he misconduct of Ghanaian immigration officials at the Aflao border contrary= to ECOWAS Protocol on the free movement of people across the sub-region.

The Queen mothers said the situation was distressing to residents of Afl= ao and Lome, saying "it is not uncommon to find a Ghanaian or Togolese resid= ent with his bedroom on one side of the border and his kitchen and farm on th= e other side. "Aflao and Lome have no man's land between them". The Queen mothers said the immigration officers demanded bribes from travelers and "travelers who failed to satisfy the demands are often maltreated and assaulted verbally and physically". They said travelers and commuters between Aflao and Lome could only be spared when found dressed scruffily. The Queen mothers alleged that the misconduct of Ghanaian immigration officers seemed to have emboldened their counterparts in Lome to also res= ort to harassing Ghanaian travelers into that country, contrary to good neighbourliness and security. While recognizing the role of the immigration in ensuring border securit= y, the Queen mothers recommended to the two governments to educate personnel=

about the traditional relations between Ghanaians and Togolese, especiall= y in the Ketu District.

They also called for the transfer of immigration officers currently on d= uty at the Aflao border. They added that those who would replace them should be educated on the cultural and social connections between and among people living on the border. The Queen mothers said sector commanders of the security operatives on t= he border should monitor and supervise the activities of their personnel especially the newly enlisted ones to ensure compliance with service regulations and ethics. "We humbly submit that the curriculum of these security personnel be loo= ked at again for them to understand the psychology and social set ups of the communities they find themselves in."