3 Volta Chiefs complain of harassment by immigration officers
Three members of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs (VRHC) have bitterly complained about harassment and bullying at the hands of personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in recent times at the Sogakope and Asikuma inland checkpoints in the Volta and Eastern regions respectively.
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They are the Paramount Chief of Amugo-Vego, Togbi Tenge Dzokoto Gligui VII; Paramount Chief of Tefle, Togbe Dugbaza VIII, and Paramount Chief of Akoefe, Togbe Drake Tsigbe IV.
They made the complaint to the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, when he visited the VRHC last Friday before a general meeting of the house.
Misgivings
The first to express his misgivings was Togbi Gligui, who cited an instance on Easter Monday, this year when he was travelling with three of his brothers, three children and his sister from Anyako to Accra on his mini van which he was driving with a bold inscription, “Amugo-Vego Traditional Authority (North Anlo).”
Togbi Gligui, who is also Dufia of Anyako and Head of the Anlo-Bate Clan, said on reaching the Sogakope in-land checkpoint by the Sogakope bridge, the GIS personnel signalled him to stop. He obeyed and rolled down the glass.
He said although he was in his full regalia and royal headgear, the GIS personnel insisted the back door of the van be opened for them to conduct a search and one of his children swiftly carried out that order.
As if that was not enough, the paramount chief said, the GIS personnel demanded to see his passport as proof of his Ghanaian nationality. “At this juncture, I got out of the vehicle and insisted on meeting the officer in charge at the checkpoint before they told me rudely to go,” he added.
Togbe Dugbaza
Meanwhile, Togbe Dugbaza said anytime he was commuting from Tefle to Sogakope, he was stopped and grilled over his identity while in his royal gear, adding that he found it demeaning to his status as a paramount chief of the area.
In one instance, he said, the GIS personnel demanded the document of his vehicle although the car had a Ghana registration number.
Togbe Drake Tsigbe
Togbe Drake Tsigbe said travelling from his hometown, Akoefe to Accra had become a nightmarish ordeal because on reaching the inland checkpoint at Asikuma, he was always asked to come down from his vehicle to produce an identity even when in his royal outfit.
After that, the Paramount Chief of Vakpo, Togbe Gbogbolulu V, suggested the introduction of special car stickers for paramount chiefs to avoid humiliation at the hands of personnel of the GIS and other security agencies.
Responding, Mr Asamoah Boateng gave an assurance that he would take up the matter with the security agencies without delay to ensure chiefs who were travelling were treated with decorum at the checkpoints.