CEPS personnel asked to check arms trafficking

Aflao, Feb. 17, GNA - Personnel of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) have been asked to remain vigilant to check the trafficking of arms and ammunition along the country's borders. Brigadier-General Richardson Baiden, Commissioner of CEPS, who made the call at Aflao, said Ghana had to maintain a stable and peaceful frontiers with its neighbours in other to promote trade and revenue generation.

He was interacting with CEPS personnel at the Aflao Sector as part of a two-day duty tour to ascertain the effect of the political situation in neighbouring Togo along the Aflao, Dzodze and Havi corridors of the Ghana- Togo border.

The assumption of power by Faure Eyadema, following the death of his late father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, had led to political crisis in Togo leading to the death of some street protestors. "There are people with the penchant for wrong doing, who may want to cause mischief in Ghana... They need to be checked", Brig-Gen Baiden said.

He cautioned the customs personnel against under declaration and under invoicing of goods, adding: "Never satisfy your interests against the general good of the country".

In a response to a question, Brig. Gen Baiden said Ghana could not build a fence wall to secure its entire frontiers against smuggling and other crimes.

He said apart from being unnecessary economically, there is no security need for such a fence wall.

Miss Yaa Kesiwaa Amponsah, Assistant Commissioner of CEPS in Charge of Aflao Sector, said her outfit had collected 18.8 billion cedis revenue during the first six weeks of the year as against the 11.8 billion collected for the same period in 2004.

In another development Togolese officials have erected barbed wires and constructed trenches along Aflao to Kpoglo since the political crisis started two weeks ago.