The Upper West Regional Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service met with the Konta family in Jirapa of the Upper West Region on May 2, 2022.

This follows a sad accident where Bonkye, a physically challenged person suffered in the hands of some officers of the Ghana Immigration Service who were on duty at a newly established Checkpoint in Jirapa.

Without any provocation, Bonkye said he was physically assaulted and tortured with an electric shocker by the officers on duty in the morning of Sunday May 1, 2022 over their mere claims that he possessed fake documents.

After the incident, he reportedly lodged a formal complaint with the Jirapa Municipal Police Command and proceeded to the St. Joseph Hospital where he was still receiving treatment as at yesterday as the two officers visited injury on him

But led by the Municipal Chief Executive for Jirapa Hon. Lawyer Nicholas Soyiri, the the Upper West Regional Commander of Ghana Immigration Service accompanied by ASP Bright Acquah (Jirapa Municipal Police Commander), Commander of the Jirapa Municipal Immigration Service, the Director of Ambulance Service and the BNI officer together with Hon. Evans Anglieraamwine (Konkuo Assembly member), the team met the family of the victim yesterday to ask for forgiveness on behalf of the officers who allegedly assaulted their family member.

According to them, the officers acted unprofessionally hence appropriate sanctions as prescribed by the Service will be taken against them.

After deliberations, leadership of the family which still appeared agrieved accepted the apology, indicating that it was rather a bitter pill for them to swallow. However, they urged the Municipal and Regional Commanders to take pragmatic steps to ensure high level of professionalism on the part of the officers who will later get back to the checkpoint.

According to Ishmael Hakeem who is a member of the family, he could not fathom why any professionally trained officer of the GIS could visit such merciless physical harm on an armless and harmless person who has a disability.

He noted that the various security agents in the Municipality are supposed to be friends to the people of Jirapa and hence their attitude and behavior towards the people must be as such.

The family requested the immediate closure of the checkpoint pending the recovery of their injured family member, this according to the MCE was already done immediately after the incident on Sunday.

Amicably, it was agreed that the MCE together with the officers of the GIS will return to meet the family to conclude discussions on possible ways of smoking the peace pipe after the full recovery of the victim.

The MCE indicated that their personal visit to the victim in the hospital revealed that he was responding to treatment and so his hopes are hight that he would get discharged from the hospital as soon as possible. He also disclosed that all the hospital bills incurred through the treatment of the victim will be settled by the Ghana Immigration Service.

The regional commander reiterated his words of sincere apologies to the family on behalf of his boys.
He assured the family that appropriate sanctions will be taken against the officers . He announced that the officers will be withdrawn and new ones brought back.

He added that he was going to personally talk to them to exhibit high sense of professionalism to avoid any such repetition.

Source: Core News Ghana