46 men and 4 women from the Preventive Unit of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority have successfully passed out from a 3-week intensive counter-terrorism training program at the 64 Infantry Regiment Training School in Asuatuare.

This makes the total number of preventive officers who have undergone this training, 250 since 2017 when the program was initiated.

The officers underwent training in military drills, weapons training, and armed combat among others all towards the mandate of detecting, deterring, and disrupting illegal movements of goods, funds, and individuals that may be used to support acts of terror across the country’s borders.

Chief Revenue Officer in charge of the Preventive Unit at Customs, Kenneth Baye highlighted the significance of such training programs in service of the fight against the ever-present threat of terrorism.

“We are the frontline agency as far as the borders are concerned and this training will really equip us to play our role in stopping any threats before they become an event. It is also important because the training equips you and also training is the best tool that can help us effectively stop or interdict threats of terrorism.”

The Commander for the Customs Counter Terrorism Unit, Benjamin Bekai said his outfit will continue to carry out its special mandate.

“As a customs division, we have three mandates to collect revenue, to protect public safety, and then to facilitate legitimate trade. So my unit is a specialized unit that is supposed to detect, deter, and disrupt illegal flow of goods and funds that could be used to facilitate terrorism in Ghana.”

Deputy Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center of the Ministry of National Security, Daniel Osei Bonsu said this program ties into the government’s objective of protecting Ghanaians.