We Did Not Facilitate Smuggled Cocoa – Police | General News

The Ghana Police Service has denied claims of facilitating a consignment of smuggled cocoa beans which were intercepted at the Missiga security checkpoint at Bawku in the Upper East Region.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the police noted that “We wish to state that the Ghana Police Service yesterday, October 9, 2024, intercepted the smuggled consignment based on intelligence, and were in the process of escorting the truck to the Bawku Divisional Police Command for the consignment to be handed over to COCOBOD and the culprits investigated and prosecuted by the Police in line with established protocol with Ghana COCOBOD.”

“For the record, the Police recently intercepted smuggled cocoa beans on two occasions within the region, and the intercepted consignments were handed over to COCOBOD, while the suspects are currently being prosecuted by the Police. It is, therefore, untrue that the Police were in any way facilitating the smuggled consignments, as being claimed.”

Checkpoint Shootout

Soldiers, customs officers and police officers were engaged in a disagreement, leading to the firing of shots over a vehicle suspected to be conveying smuggled cocoa to Togo.

While the police officers at the scene, Nakom Corner in the Upper East Region, sought to have the vehicle escorted to Bawku for inspection of its contents, the customs officers reportedly disagreed.

Soldiers who emerged at the scene joined in the confusion and even shot at the police vehicle, in their bid to thwart the efforts of the police officers.

A video about the occurrence showed the security officers firing shots.

According to a situation report by the Bawku Divisional Commander, ACP Adamu Seidu, on October 9, 2024 at about 10:00 hours, police officers intercepted a Kia Rhino truck with registration number AS551-21 based on the information that the said truck was loaded with an unspecified quantity of cocoa beans.

The cocoa beans, he went on, was being smuggled into Togo. ACP Adamu Seidu disclosed that he dispatched men to the scene to escort the said truck to the Bawku Police Station for a search to be conducted on the truck.

As the police escorted the truck and upon reaching a section of the road at Nakom-Corner, a team of customs officers from Polimakom followed and told the law enforcement officers that they were interested in the contents of the truck. The police officers reportedly asked the customs officers to follow up on the search.

At Pusiga, a military pick-up with armed men from Polimakom followed and blocked the truck with the excuse that they were taking the truck back to Widana, but the police resisted this move and continued.

The military continued obstructing the police until the customs checkpoint at Missiga where two military trucks and four armoured pick-ups with men blocked the police and started firing sporadically.

The police escort team called for reinforcement, and when it arrived, the military shot at the vehicle and the tyre of the police armoured vehicle, deflating it in the process.

As a result of the intensive firing, the police also fired some warning shots in order to defend the police vehicles from further damage.

The situation was later brought under control and the truck impounded at the customs checkpoint for a joint-security search to be conducted to ascertain the content of the truck.

The impounded truck at the customs checkpoint at Missiga was searched the same day in the presence of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), Defense intelligence, police and other security agencies.

During a search of the truck, twenty bags of cocoa beans were found concealed in the said truck with other goods. These were recovered and retained at the customs checkpoint at Missiga under the custody of the Missiga Customs Command.

A police officer G/Constable Nicholas Opare Junior, who was assaulted by the military at the scene, has been admitted at the Presbyterian Hospital, Bawku where he is currently responding to treatment.

The police armoured vehicle with registration number GP3498, which the soldiers shot into, revealed bullet marks on both the body of the vehicle and on two deflated tyres, according to the Divisional Commander.

Calm Restored

The police said the leadership of the three state security institutions promptly intervened to resolve the matter at the national level, to maintain harmony and restore cooperation among the agencies involved.

“Meanwhile, the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) under the chairmanship of the Upper East Regional Minister, is also meeting the personnel and their leaders at the regional level to complement the efforts made at the national level,” the police statement added.