Interior Minister Explains Hold Up Of Benin Delegation

Interior minister, Hackman Owusu Agyeman, has explained the temporary hold up of a Beninois delegation attending the opening of Parliament on Tuesday was purely on security grounds.

Immigration officials at the Aflao border detained the deputy speaker of Benin’s national assembly and part of his entourage as part of routine checks.

Later, during his address in Parliament, the Beninois deputy speaker described the incident as unfortunate and prayed that it would not be repeated.

But, the Interior Minister, Hackman Owusu Agyeman, told JOYNEWS that initial briefing he received on the issue indicated that it was a routine check and that the group was not the target of any harassment.

He explained that the delegation got to the Ghana side of the border at Aflao in the Volta region at about eleven pm yesterday but were not allowed to cross because the boarder had been closed.

He said in the early hours of today they were allowed to cross but one of the vehicles with its passengers was detained because the authorities at the border had problems with papers accompanying the vehicle.

Mr. Owusu Agyeman said this was rectified almost immediately and the vehicle arrived an hour after the initial delegation arrived in Accra. He said the vehicle contained journalists and some administrative staff of the Benin general assembly.