The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) Aflao Sector Command, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, intercepted 45 gallons of petrol being smuggled into Togo.

A patrol team led by Assistant Superintendent of Immigration (ASI) Richmond Wuntah Awuni, intercepted the fuel during routine patrols at Pillar 12, an unapproved route along the Gha­na-Togo border.

The fuel, hidden in an uncom­pleted building near the border, was uncovered following height­ened surveillance efforts, according to the GIS in a press statement issued in Accra, yesterday, copied to the Ghanaian Times.

The crackdown it said followed a recent directive from the Comp­troller-General of Immigration (CGI), Kwame Asuah Takyi, to all border commanders to intensify patrols in response to growing concerns over terrorist threats and cross-border crimes.

The statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs of the GIS, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI), Michael Amoako-Atta, said the intercept­ed petrol has been handed over to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) as investigations continued to track down those involved in the smuggling attempt.

The GIS, the statement said, has issued a stern warning to residents near the border, urging them not to allow their facilities to be used by criminals for illegal activities that could threaten national security.