Kulungugu clash under investigation, officers to be punished — Brigadier General Ayorrogo

Brigadier General Zibri Bawah Ayorrogo, the Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA-CD), has described the recent altercation at the Kulungugu Border Post as unfortunate, promising that the officers responsible will face the full rigours of the law.

“The incident that happened at Kulungugu is very unfortunate. Everybody's role has been spelt out and anytime you are confronted with an issue, there is somebody higher than you that you have to consult. Do not take the laws into your own hands or behave in a particular way that is not professional.

“The security institutions are professional and disciplined institutions and we do not expect any of our personnel to behave otherwise. This issue is currently under investigation and those who will be found culpable will be punished accordingly,” he stated.

His remark follows the circulation of a viral video on social media, which captured officers from the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Customs Division of the GRA engaged in a scuffle at the border post in the Upper East Region.

The incident led to the establishment of a joint committee between the GIS and the Customs Division of the GRA to thoroughly investigate and recommend measures to curb it from occurring in the future.

The Commissioner of the Customs Division of the GRA who was speaking to the media during a working visit to the Upper East Region, commended his officers for the professionalism they exhibited in the line of duty and admonished them to desist from acts that could intimidate traders to try to evade tax.

Brigadier General Ayorrogo, however, expressed worry about the porous borders in the country as one of the major loopholes to revenue loss to the Authority.

He mentioned the introduction of scanners at the revenue collection points as among the innovations rolled out to scan goods coming in or out of the country.

Brigadier General Ayorrogo called for concerted efforts from traders and the public to improve the revenue mobilisation of the Authority.

—citinewsroom