8 IMMIGRATION OFFICERS SUSPENDED FOR ASSAULT (SPREAD)

EIGHT immigration officers who allegedly assaulted a trader at the Jaway-Wharf in the Jomoro District of the Western Region have been suspended, while the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) conducts investigations into the case.
The regional office of the service has also taken over the cost of medical care and made a cash presentation to the victim at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
That aside, personnel of the regional office have met with the family of the victim, Mr Kofi Acquah, and assured them of their support.
The victim was responding positively to treatment as at the time the Daily Graphic visited him in the company of officials of GIS.
The immigration officers were said to have assaulted Acquah, following his failure to give them a tip of GH¢5.00 before he was allowed to cross to the Cote d' Ivoire side to trade.
He was said to have offered the officers GH¢3.00 since he was not aware of the increment in the illegal tip instituted by the officers.
The GH¢3.00 he offered was said to have angered the officials, who assaulted him until he became unconscious.
He was rushed to the Jomoro Government Hospital and later transferred to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
The Regional Commander of the service, Mr Robert Quartey, described the act as unfortunate and said the service would not take the issue lightly.
He observed that what happened had the tendency of denting the image of the service and its quest to foster good relations between it and the public.
He said it was not the aim of the service to intimidate or brutalise any citizen or visitors to the country, adding that "we have instituted full-scale investigations into the matter to establish exactly what transpired".
Mr Quartey urged members of the general public to make use of the complaints unit of the service.
"Let me assure the public that the GIS is not an intimidating force to terrorise anybody. Together with various service commanders in the region we are going to stamp out such wrong behaviours," he said.
Mr Acquah expressed his gratitude to Mr Quartey and his team for the support and expressed the hope that he would soon be back on his feet.
Health officials said he had made a remarkable recovery and would be discharged soon.