Committee worried about porous border entries

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Interior and Defence on Tuesday expressed concern about the porous nature of the country’s entry points considering the many unapproved routes linking the neighbouring countries.

The committee was on a working visit to the Bawku and the Paga borders to assess measures to prevent the spread of Ebola and the conflict situation in the area with a view of making a proposal to Parliament to see how the problem could be addressed.

Mr Fritz Baffour, Chairman of the Committee, said the situation on the ground was not the best considering the possibility of foreigners using the unapproved routes into the country without proper examination especially from Togo and Burkina Faso.

He said the proliferation of illegal arms and smuggling of fuel across the neighbouring countries was also very high.

Mr Baffour mentioned some of the challenges facing the security agents at the borders as lack of equipment and means of transport to make them efficient.

He said the team had also visited other parts of the country and would make recommendations to Parliament for redress of the problems identified.

The members of Parliament in the Committee included Mr Cletus Avoka, Mr Alhassan Mumuni, Mr Herod Cobbina, Mr Christian Otutaye Corley, Mr Derek Oduro, Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong, Mr Adjei Boateng, Mr Alex K. Agyekum, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei and Mr Francis Anaman.

The team later held a closed door meeting with the Regional Security Council for a debriefing about the security situation on the ground.