The Police Are Killing Our Business - Livestock Dealers Association
Livestock Dealers Association has expressed grievances over alleged unscrupulous activities hindering the progress and growth of their business.
They have accused the personnel from the Ghana Police Service brutalizing them at the various borders through which they transport their livestock to Ghana.
According to a press release signed by the Association's Chairman John Kutu and copied to Peacefmonline.com, "on every border of the journey from Burkina Faso to Ghana, if you are to meet over hundred borders (barriers), the Police demands bribe of GHC 50 from the owner of the animals before your vehicle is allowed to move. If you feel reluctant to offer the bribe, then the Police will request for your travelling documents and if you hand it over to them, they will deliberately seize it for some time, which they are aware that the animals do not like heat, so staying in the vehicle motionless can kill some of the animals, so for the businessman to save the animals from dying, they will offer the bribe at every barrier to save his animals and his business capital.
“Please, analyzing this money that is offered as bribe at every barrier, one can deduce that the businessman in the livestock trade is really suffering and making huge losses due to some dubious Police personnel trying to disrupt the very good policies of the government”.
The group is therefore petitioning the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to expose the unscrupulous Police officers crippling their business.
"Please, we are appealing to the Inspector General of Police to include some ununiformed Police personnel among some of our businessmen when they are going to buy the livestock from the neighbouring countries, so that the bad nuts among the whole lot of good Police personnel can be duly exposed and brought to book.
"These bad activities of some of the Police personnel is really affecting our business and thus has made the price of meat to be very high on the market which hitherto to that, should not have been the situation as meat could have been very cheap on the market", the statement further read.
Read full statement below:
The above named group humbly and respectfully will want to voice out concerns and grievances which are hindering the progress and growth of our business and also go a long way to affect our moral and constitutional duty to pay our individual taxes as good citizens of our dear country.
First of all, our major hindrance to our business is the activities of some bad personnel of the Ghana Police Service.
We have several cases of Police brutalities on some of our members when the livestock are being transported from the sales point (Burkina Faso to Ghana).
On every border of the journey from Burkina Faso to Ghana, if you are to meet over hundred borders (barriers), the Police demands bribe of GHC 50 from the owner of the animals before your vehicle is allowed to move.
If you feel reluctant to offer the bribe, then the Police will request for your travelling documents and if you hand it over to them, they will deliberately seize it for some time, which they are aware that the animals do not like heat, so staying in the vehicle motionless can kill some of the animals, so for the businessman to save the animals from dying, they will offer the bribe at every barrier to save his animals and his business capital.
Please, analyzing this money that is offered as bribe at every barrier, one can deduce that the businessman in the livestock trade is really suffering and making huge losses due to some dubious Police personnel trying to disrupt the very good policies of the government.
The Police unprovokably become very annoyed to the extent that there are two cases of Police brutalities which have caused the death of one of our members and the other has a serious eye problem (watery eyes).
Please, we are appealing to the Inspector General of Police to include some ununiformed Police personnel among some of our businessmen when they are going to buy the livestock from the neighbouring countries, so that the bad nuts among the whole lot of good Police personnel can be duly exposed and brought to book.
These bad activities of some of the Police personnel is really affecting our business and thus has made the price of meat to be very high on the market which hitherto to that, should not have been the situation as meat could have been very cheap on the market.
It is our fervent hope and prayer that, as we are celebrating this glorious day of our toil and sweat for our dear people and country, our concerns will be addressed so that we can also really contribute our quota to the development of our dear country, Ghana.
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