News:
November 29, 2018
Former Volta Region Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Krachi West, Helen Adjoa Ntoso has urged President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government to provide Immigration officers with arms to patrol the country’s borders.
According to the Krachi West legislator in 2016, Parliament passed the Ghana Immigration service Act, (Act 908) in which section 24 the personnel of the service for the first time in the history of the country, officers were allowed to poses and use fire arms in line of duty.
She however expressed worry that two years on, officers are not armed and in the 2019 budget there is no mention anywhere that officers of the Ghana Immigration Service would be provided with arms to patrol our, “borders”, she lamented.
“Experience is the best teacher, our boarders especially from beat nine to pillar eighty three (83) is not easy to patrol without arms, smugglers are armed, the economic saboteurs the same. I have done this job for eight good years so I am speaking from experience, when you are armed to patrol our borders it is even not easy left alone without arms patrolling”.
Madam Ntoso made this remarks on the floor of Parliament when she contributed to the debate, for the House to approve the financial policy of government of Ghana for the year ending 31st December 2019.
She drew the attention of the Speaker that in the 2017 budget page 129 and paragraph 7589 there was a provision, again 2018 same page 134 paragraphs 758.
“Mr. Speaker, is the 2019 budget silent on providing arms for officers of the Ghana Immigration Service, something would have to be done about it”, she lamented in her contribution to the debate.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com