The Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, says the closing of borders should be done in a way that does not affect the livelihoods of border communities.
He said mitigating approaches should be adopted in the border closure for “the benefit of nationality”.
Togbe Afede, who doubles as the president of the National House of Chiefs, recently led the standing committee of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs to tour the Leklebi-Kame border community in Ho.
Engaging with immigration officials, he lamented the siting of immigration posts away from actual border lines.
“It’s a blanket suggestion that you cannot cross the checkpoint when you know that Ghana lies beyond that checkpoint,” he said.
“How do parents explain to their children that we are no more Ghanaian? Suddenly you cannot come to your own country. Can you imagine the psychological trauma?”
No crossing of border posts
Ghana’s air, land and sea borders closed in March to help curtail the spread of COVID-19.
However, some residents have alleged that the post at Leklebi Kame, manned by immigration officers, is several hundred metres away from the border line.
According to local people, this has made it very difficult for Ghanaians living beyond the post to cross.
The paramount chief of Ve Traditional Area, Togbuiga Deluxe VII, has complained that security personnel have been harassing residents.
The secretary of the Hornuta Traditional Council, Thomas Alutornu, has also said that some residents are being labelled as Togolese and prevented from registering for the voter ID.
The Ghana News Agency quoted Alutornu as saying: “They were turning people away, yet we share a common boundary with Togo and we share the same culture.”
Government denies voter suppression
Meanwhile, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, has refuted claims that the government has been using the security services to prevent people in the Volta Region from registering for the voter ID.
His comments were in response to allegations by the opposition National Democratic Congress that the government suppressed registrants during the just-ended voter registration exercise.
The minister explained that military men have been deployed in border towns to help staff of the Ghana Immigration Service enforce the border closure.
“Let me put it on record that the government has not conceived, the government did not plan, the government has no intention, the government will not plan and will never have an intention of suppressing any potential voter who is a Ghanaian and who is qualified, who is of sound mind, and above 18 years to register,” Nitiwul said.
“As I stated before, we deployed the military to the borders to support the Immigration Service to ensure that the borders remain firmly closed.”
E A Alanore
* Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online.
#asaaseradio
#TVOL
