Use of soldiers to enforce grain ban is a ploy to intimidate voters – Minority

The Minority has accused the government of deploying military personnel to intimidate voters under the guise of enforcing a recently imposed ban on grain exports.

This accusation comes in the wake of a severe drought affecting the northern regions of the country.

The Minority has expressed concerns about the government’s true intentions, alleging that the deployment is an attempt to suppress votes.

Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, James Agalga, at a presser in Accra on Friday noted that: “If they have no ulterior motives, then they ought to have given us timelines. The fact that there are no timelines gives us reason to suspect that they only used the crisis, related to the drought up north and the potential for us to have some food security challenges, to deploy the military to intimidate voters.”

“Otherwise, there should be timelines. We further backed our assertions with what happened in the roundup of the 2020 elections…So our suspicions are justifiable.”

He condemned the decision in the strongest terms, questioning the necessity and implications of involving the military in what he believes should be the domain of immigration and customs officers.

“The Minority condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the decision by the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government to deploy the military to border towns across the country under the guise of enforcing the ban on grain exportation,” Mr Agalga stated.

Accusation of using the military as a ploy

He noted that the dry spell in the northern regions has prompted the government to take measures to safeguard food security.

Mr Agalga argued that the statutory responsibility of managing and patrolling the country’s borders lies with the Immigration Service, supported by the Customs Service.

He questioned the rationale behind the military’s involvement, suggesting that the government should consider the costs associated with such deployment, which could potentially exceed the value of the grains being protected.

He also recalled the military's controversial deployment during the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections, particularly in the Volta and Oti regions, which many believed was an attempt to intimidate voters under the pretext of addressing a supposed secessionist threat.

On Monday, August 26, the government announced an immediate ban on grain exports. Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul stated that military personnel had been deployed to enforce the ban at the country’s borders.

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