Col. Rtd. Kwadwo Damoah, the Commissioner of Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has lamented how National Security goons have overrun the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and are allowing goods to be sneaked into the country without inspection.
“Some aspects of their operations, I will say they are usurping the powers of customs…I have had discussions with them. You see, we are not supposed to fight over turf, we are supposed to work towards a national goal,” Col. Damoah told Accra-based Joy News recently in an explosive interview monitored by Whatsup News.
According to him, the rampaging National Security operatives at Ghana’s international airport have virtually incapacitated the customs from inspecting goods coming into the country through the airport, for the purposes of Duties and other taxes meant for the state.
“It is customs that has the mandate to look at the goods, to apply the law to these goods. If they are goods that, by law duties should be paid on, then customs will look at the goods, see the proper description of the goods and apply the proper values for duties to be paid.”
The dangerous turf war ongoing between these major state agencies means that there is no certainty in the type of goods being passed through the KIA, whether they are narcotic drugs or dangerous weapons.
“If you look at the customs act, we also have the responsibility of looking at things that are of security implication. If you are bringing in goods, are they goods that the law permits you to bring them in, for instance, if they are weapons, that is security implication, if you are bringing in food are they the type the appropriate state institution like Food and Drugs Authority permits us?”
Already, Whatsup News is picking up information that contraband goods and narcotic drugs may already be passing through the Ghanaians ports allegedly under the auspices of the National Security.
Also, the National Security is reportedly running rampant at the Tema Port where some suspicious goods have in the past years passed through smoothly into the country, including weapons and potentially hard drugs.
Source: Whatsupnewsghana