The National Security Ministry has rejected claims by Yao Gomado asserting that, two people killed in the Oti Region’s Akan Constituency were on purpose.
This comes after two football players in the Yadzo neighborhood of the Oti Region died on Monday, allegedly under the attack of National Security Operatives while trying to ship cocoa beans to Togo.
“The incident leading to the death of the two persons was purely accidental and not borne out of a targeted operation,” a statement released by the National Security Ministry on December 27.
In addition to offering its condolences to the families of the deceased, they urged the public to ignore the factual lies intended to sow discord for the anti-cocoa smuggling operation in the constituency.
To correct the record, the Ministry clarified that the following are the facts of the case:
1. In October 2023, the Ministry of National Security, in collaboration with COCOBOD, launched an intelligence-led operation along the Eastern Corridor which includes the Akan Constituency, to prevent cocoa smuggling to neighbouring countries. The launch of the intelligence-led operation was informed by a surge in cocoa smuggling activities, leading to a significant reduction in the quantum of cocoa beans sold by farmers to Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs). This explains the presence of National Security personnel in the Akan Constituency.
2. The anti-cocoa smuggling operations have, so far, been successful with several persons involved in the smuggling activities arrested. A significant amount of cocoa beans seized from the smugglers have been submitted as exhibits for the prosecution of the arrested persons. It is worth noting that as a result of the intelligence-led operations, the LBCs have recorded an uptick in the quantum of cocoa sold to them by farmers.
3. Regrettably, on December 25, 2023, one of the vehicles of the anti-cocoa smuggling operations team was involved in an accident when it collided head-on with a motorcycle carrying two persons; a development that claimed the lives of the two persons aboard the motorcycle.
4. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, personnel of the Ghana Police Service arrived at the scene to commence full-scale investigations. However, some aggrieved persons in the Akan Constituency, guided by a misconception that the two deceased persons were deliberately targeted, vandalised the vehicle and set it ablaze.
Read full statement below;
PRESS RELEASE – NATIONAL SECURITY OPERATIONS IN THE AKAN CONSTITUENCY – 27-12-2023
