Mr Ben Suri, Chief collector of CEPS in charge of the Dabala Checkpoint on the Accra/Aflao highway, has said smuggling across the Volta River around Sogakope had reduced following the action of a chief.
He said the reduction might be due to a declaration two years ago by Togbe Dogbefu Akakpo, chief of Akakpokope, a small community one kilometre away from the Dabala checkpoint, to expose traders who used his community as a depot for smuggled goods.
Mr Suri was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Dabala.
He said the practice was for young people from surrounding communities to converge at Akakpokope to carry bundles of smuggled goods dropped there to the river side to be ferried across the river.
Mr Suri said a clash between the youth of that community and a CEPS anti-smuggling squad two years ago embarrassed the chief who made the declaration to stop the criminal connivance.
He said he believed that large consignments of goods including arms and ammunition had passed into the country through that route and therefore expressed delight at the turn of events.
Mr Suri commended Togbe Akakpo for his exceptional action and appealed to other community leaders to emulate his statesmanship and patriotism.
Togbe Akakpo told the GNA that he took the measure because smuggling was damaging the image of the village.
He appealed to government to extend power and water to the village.
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