Editorial: The Bawku Cocoa Incident: Was The Military Right In Confronting The Police?

On Friday, October 11, 2024 The Chronicle reported that there were sporadic shooting at Pulmakom in the Upper East Region between two detachments of the police and military. The alleged incident occurred on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

According to our story, on that fateful day, the police had a tip-off about the movement of a truck, Kia Rhino, with registration number AS 551-21, alleged to be smuggling unspecified quantity of dried cocoa beans into neighbouring Republic of Togo.

The Divisional Police Commander, our story continued, reportedly dispatched men to escort the said truck to the Bawku Police Station for a search to be conducted on it. As the escort of the truck commenced and at a section of the road near Nakom-Corner, Customs Officers from Pulmakom followed and informed the police that they were interested in the content of the arrested truck.

The Police reportedly asked the Customs officials to accompany them for the search. At Pusiga, a military pickup with armed men followed and allegedly blocked the truck, with the excuse that they were taking the truck back to Widana, where it was first arrested, but the police resisted and continued with their journey.

The soldiers reportedly kept obstructing the police until at the Customs Checkpoint at Missiga, where two military vehicles and pickups again blocked the police and started firing sporadically. In the shooting melee, a police armoured vehicle was allegedly immobilised by the military men through bullets they pumped into the tyres.

The situation was later brought under control and the Kia truck was impounded at the Customs Checkpoint for necessary action to be taken.

In a statement later issued by the police, they confirmed the incident, but said the issue had been addressed by their leadership in Accra.

The police statement further stated that they intercepted the smuggled consignment based on intelligence and were in the process of escorting the truck to the Bawku Divisional Police Command, for the consignment to be handed over to COCOBOD and the culprits investigated and prosecuted by the Police, in line with established protocol with Ghana COCOBOD.

First of all, The Chronicle commends the Military hierarchy and the Police Administration for quickly intervening to resolve the issue that had resulted in a conflict between the two sister security agencies. This notwithstanding, we are not happy with the conduct of the military that led to the alleged exchange of gunfire between the two institutions.

Per constitutional arrangement, the police are in charge of the internal security of our beloved country.

However, since by the grace of God, Ghana is not at war with any country, the ‘idled military’ is always asked to help the police maintain internal security.

Such help, we must emphasise, does not mean that the military has taken over the internal security work of the police.

In the case we are reviewing, there was an apparent mistrust between the police and the Customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority over the arrest of the cargo reportedly carrying the smuggled cocoa.

But instead of the former following the seized cocoa beans to the police station, as requested by the police, they decided to inform the military.

Again, instead of the military also following the police to ensure that the cocoa beans had been sent to the police station at Bawku, they rather decided to stop the police from doing their work, based on an alleged report that the GRA made to them.

As we earlier alluded to, since the internal security of the country is in hands of the police, the best thing the military men should have done was to report the seizure of the cocoa to their military high command in Accra and allow the police to do their work.

The GRA could have similarly reported the issue to their bosses in Accra so that in case the police later start telling different stories, they will be evidence on record.

Unfortunately, none of these steps were taken and instead the military decided to prevent the police from doing their work, to the extent of deflating the tyres of the police vehicle escorting the smuggled cocoa.

We need to call a spade a spade and not a big spoon – this can never happen in any developed country.

In our opinion, it is high time the military high command in Accra rein in their men to avoid future occurrence of this episode.

Since the two institutions are not antagonists, they must work together in the interest of the country and stop ‘the power play’ they are exhibiting. Yes, we admit that we are not ceased with all the facts, but on the face of what has been reported, The Chronicle does not think the military acted honourably in this case.

Nevertheless, we are grateful that both the police and military quickly resolved the issue for the sake of peace.

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