On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, a dispute between Ghana Police Service officers and Customs officers at the Missiga Immigration Service checkpoint in Bawku turned violent.
Sources said that the altercation started when police officers resisted letting customs authorities examine a vehicle headed for Togo that was thought to be carrying illegal cocoa beans.
The inspection was insisted upon by Customs officials, which resulted in a tense confrontation between the two organizations.
Officers from the Customs and Police departments exchanged shots as the animosity between them increased.
Eventually, military officers were sent in to defuse the tension.
A video of the incident showed how a heated disagreement turned violent, leading to gunfire and forcing onlookers to run for their lives.
For several minutes, the checkpoint turned into a chaotic and dangerous scene as the two security agencies exchanged fire, raising serious concerns about interagency coordination in protecting Ghana’s borders.
