Police deny smuggling PFJ fertilizer to Burkina Faso

The Ghana Police Service has denied reports that it is aiding in the smuggling of fertilizer to neighboring Burkina Faso.

A statement signed by the Public Affairs Officer in the Upper East Region of the police service, ASP David Fianko-Okyere indicates that the said reports are “totally false, malicious and calculated to tarnish the image of the police service.” The Police have subsequently announced that the command will consider options available to hold the perpetrators of the false reportage accountable.

The report was published in the July 19, 2021 edition of The Herald Newspaper, under the caption “Bawku: Police escort PFJ Smuggled Fertilizer to Burkina Faso.” The newspaper claimed that the police escorted trucks carrying the smuggled fertilizer across the northern border.

However, the police have noted that the Regional Security Council banned the movement of fertilizer in the night to clamp down on the “alleged perennial fertilizer smuggling in the northern regions.” Accordingly, trucks carrying fertilizer are not allowed to move between the hours of 6:00 pm and 6:00 am in the region.

The police have further argued that police officers only escort fertilizer-carrying trucks “during the day to the District Agricultural Directors to avert diversion.”

The police statement has further cautioned media houses to “verify information before publication,” while adding that the police “command cherishes the role of the media in the fight against crime.”