Immigration Officers issue death threats at gunpoint to GJA Chairman

By Philip Tengzu

Naro, (UW/R), June 23, GNA – Some officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) stationed at the Naro Immigration Checkpoint in the Nadowli-Kaleo District, have threatened to kill the Upper West Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Sualah Abdul-Wahab, at gunpoint.

The officers, amidst the death threats, also verbally assaulted Mr Abdul-Wahab, who was a regional correspondent of the state broadcaster, the Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation (GBC) in the Upper West Region.

The incident happened on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at the Naro Immigration Checkpoint when the journalist was aboard a passenger bus travelling from Wa in the Upper West Region to Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

Narrating the incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa, Mr Abdul-Wahab said the attacks on him by the officers ensued after he declined an order from them to cross the road to the other side to urinate.

“He cocked the gun and said if you are a man, go and urinate there. I moved away to go and urinate and some of the passengers followed me to go and urinate. When I came back he said I was being stubborn, I was challenging their authority, and he will shoot me”, he explained.

Mr Abdul-Wahab said one of the officers, Mr Anim Agyapong, who he believed was a senior officer there, attempted to beat him and later entered their office and brought out a pistol, pointed it at him and said “I will blow off your head”.

“All along I did not respond harshly to him because of his uniform. I have a lot of respect for security agencies; it doesn’t matter which security agency you work for, I have a lot of respect for them because they provide us protection so I didn’t mind him”, the journalist intimated.

Mr Abdul-Wahab explained that the misunderstanding ensued when the vehicle stopped for the routine immigration checks and he wanted to urinate.

“When we got to the checkpoint the driver stopped for the routine immigration checks so all the passengers came down. I went to some of the officers who were still sitting to ask for ablution cattle to pass water which they gladly did.

“I walked towards Wa direction and I saw a zinc structure like a washroom so I went back and asked if I could urinate there but they said no, I turned and was walking towards Wa direction, far from the checkpoint to urinate and one officer called me back and said I should not urinate on that side of the road.

I asked where I could urinate and he said I should cross to the other side of the road, and I asked him if I am crossing and anything happens to me will they take responsibility and said what kind of question are you asking me”, Mr Abdul-Wahab explained.

Mr Abdul-Wahab said when he insisted that he would not cross the highway to urinate, the officers got infuriated and started abusing him verbally.

“They were insulting me, I am stupid, I am grown up but I am speaking like a child. They really insulted me but I didn’t speak harshly to them”, he indicated.

He said he could not fathom why the officers insisted he must cross the road to urinate even though he moved far from the checkpoint because he would be exposing myself to danger when crossing the road.

He said the officers later opened the barrier for the vehicle to go after delaying them for several minutes when the passengers boarded the vehicle.

Mr Abdul-Wahab said he had reported the incident to the Upper West Regional Command of the GIS and would also report it to the police for investigation when he returned from the journey.

Meanwhile, attempts to get the Upper West Regional Command of the GIS to comment on the incident had not been successful as the Regional Public Relations Officer of the GIS, Mr Ibn Yussif Duranah-Mumin Seidu failed to reply to a Whatsapp message sent to him and to pick the call the GNA placed.

A follow-up to the office indicated that the Regional Commander was in a meeting and therefore could not talk to the GNA.

GNA

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