Agona Swedru, Nov 25, GNA - Mr Felix Jacob Obeng-Forson, the Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, has appealed to the Ministry of Defence to establish a Military Base in the Agona Swedru Municipality to help fight the rising crime wave in the area.

He said the establishment of the base had become necessary because of the persistent attacks on residents by armed robbers and the creation of hard drug centres in the area.

Mr Obeng-Forson made the appeal when some officers of the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, in Accra, visited the Agona West Municipality as part of their annual tour of the Central Region to acquaint themselves with problems facing the area.

The Officers, who were accompanied by some colleagues from West Africa, attended a forum at which issues affecting the Health Sector; Chieftaincy and Land Ownership; the New Pension Scheme; and Agriculture were discussed. The MCE said the Police were doing their best to protect lives and property but the Military Base would beef up the security in the area. He said the government had awarded a contract for the rehabilitation of the roads in the Swedru Municipality and work would soon begin. Dr Sakyi Appiah, Agona West Municipal Director of Health Services, told the Military Officers that the Municipal Health Directorate had intensified the education on swine flu, otherwise known as (HI NI) disease and students, were particularly, being targeted.

He said the Health Directorate chalked some successes in the recent Polio Immunization and Vitamin A Exercise in the Agona West Municipal and Agona East Districts.

Major Omani Boamah, the leader of the Military Officers, said they had already paid courtesy calls on Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, Central Regional Minister in Cape Coast and also visited the Twifo Praso, Assin North and Mfantseman Municipalities.

According to him, other groups of Military Officers were touring the Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Western and Central Regions to have first hand information on all sectors of the economy. Major Boamah assured the MCE that the request for a Military Base at Agona Swedru would be communicated to the Minister of Defence.