SMMUGGLING STOLEN GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED FERTILIZER TO BURKINA FASO


As the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is working very hard to make life more comfortable especially for the poor farmer at the rural level, some individuals are busy putting spokes in the government’s wheels of progress.
But for the smartness and alacrity of the Sissala East District Chief Executive, Madam Alijata Sulemana, seven hundred bags of subsidized government fertilizer would have gone into the Republic of Burkina Faso for a greedy and notorious smuggler in the Sissala East District by name Alhassan Kanton popularly called Alaska. A vehicle with registration number AS 6032 X has been impounded by the DCE for Sissala East Alijata Sulemana and it is currently in her custody as the vehicle is parked in her official residence.
Narrating the incident to the The Catalyst, the DCE Madam Alijata said she got wind of the activities of the smuggler last Wednesday at about 2:45 am that a vehicle loaded with fertilizer was crossing the border into Burkina Faso precisely at Leo on the “no man’s land” area of Lipluma and Limwira.
She quickly rushed towards the border for verification purpose. When she got to the border, the officials of Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and an immigration officer manning the barrier prevented her from crossing to find out about the situation saying that they could not trace the keys locking the barrier. She outmanoeuvred them and took to unapproved routes and got to the location of the truckload of stolen government subsidized fertilizers.
An attempt to find out the owner of the vehicle with registration number AS 6032X failed as the driver bolted away leaving behind an underage driver’s mate. Her initial interrogation from the driver’s mate showed that the truck loaded the government fertilizer all the way from Tema Port and it was not carrying any waybill. According to her the driver’s mate said they arrived at the barrier only for the DCE, Madam Alijata arrived.
Further enquires showed that the fertilizer belongs to one Alhassan Katong, known as Alaska, who is a supplier in the district. The DCE said the subsidized fertilizers were being sold at Ghc25 as per government directive. But the supplier, Alaska brings them into the district and he sends them across the border and sells them at Ghc50.
The DCE, who was visibly sad when narrating the incident to The Catalyst, was particularly worried about the behaviour put up by the security agencies in the district. Almost all of them especially the police put up a lukewarm attitude when the incident occurred. At a point, pressure was brought to bear on her that she should release the vehicle to the police of which she flatly refused because she did not trust them given their initial reaction when the incident occurred.
She said when the incident occurred, she contacted the district commanders of police and immigration complaining about the behaviour of their men who prevented her from crossing the border to arrest the vehicle with smuggled fertilizer. All they both said was that they will see to it later but nothing happened.
The police later came with a demand that the DCE should release the car to them. As if that was not enough, she had an express directive from the Regional Security Council, of which the regional minister is the chairman, ordering her to bring the vehicle to Wa, the regional capital. She later had a call from the regional police commander telling her to release the vehicle to the police in Wa, because the Inspector General of Police has an interest in the case.
According to the DCE, her refusal to release the vehicle with fertilizers was as a result of the fact that the notorious smuggler, Alhassan Kantong, had gone about bragging that he has the police at his fingertips and therefore what she the DCE was doing was an exercise in futility as he would surely have his way come what may.
The DCE said it was lamentable that this has been the behaviour of the notorious smuggler since the NDC took over from the NPP about three years ago.
Alhassan Kantong once contested the Sissala West Constituency chairmanship slot for the opposition NPP but lost. Many believe that if the activities of the smuggler and his connection with the security agencies in the Sissala East District are not properly investigated a sad story will be told some day.