PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 3rd June 2026
The Aflao Youth Association expresses its profound outrage and strongest condemnation of the conduct of the Honourable Minister for the Interior during his visit to Aflao on 2nd June 2026.
Prior to his visit, the Minister officially communicated through established protocol that his first point of call would be the Palace of His Royal Majesty, Togbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti V, Paramount Chief and President of the Aflao Traditional Council. Although His Royal Majesty was outside Ghana on an international peace mission in South Africa, the Palace made full preparations to receive the Minister in accordance with the agreed arrangements.
The Chiefs and Elders of Aflao sat in state from 11:00 a.m. awaiting the Minister’s arrival scheduled for 12:00 noon. They remained assembled until approximately 2:30 p.m., only to be informed that the Minister had already departed Aflao without paying the promised courtesy call.
This conduct constitutes a flagrant insult to traditional authority, a gross breach of protocol, and an unacceptable display of disregard for the dignity of the Aflao Paramountcy and its people. It is inconceivable that a Minister of State would formally request an audience with a Paramountcy, mobilize its traditional leadership, and then fail to honour his own commitment.
Equally disturbing are the Minister’s sweeping assertions concerning so-called “illegal routes” within the Volta Region. We categorically reject any narrative that seeks to portray Aflao and the Volta Region as centres of criminality or lawlessness.
Let it be clearly understood that every route officially recognized today was once an unapproved footpath created and used by the indigenous owners of the land. No approved route descended from heaven. No border crossing was created by divine decree. They evolved through human settlement, population growth, trade, and social interaction. To criminalize communities because additional pathways have emerged over time is both historically inaccurate and intellectually dishonest.
If demographic expansion and economic realities have created additional crossing points within border enclaves, the responsibility of government is to assess, regulate, and where appropriate formalize them—not to demonize the very communities whose existence predates the colonial boundaries that now separate them.
Furthermore, while government officials focus on labeling routes as illegal, innocent travellers and traders continue to suffer harassment, extortion, theft, armed robbery, and violent attacks within and around the Aflao enclave. These persistent security challenges often drive vulnerable persons into the hands of criminal syndicates who exploit their frustrations for personal gain. These are the realities demanding urgent attention.
It is also becoming increasingly apparent that certain reckless and unguarded statements from government officials are creating damaging perceptions about our border communities and providing justification for the harassment and mistreatment of Ghanaian citizens beyond our borders. Such narratives do not strengthen national security; they weaken trust and undermine the dignity of law-abiding citizens.
OUR DEMANDS
- An immediate and unqualified public apology to His Royal Majesty Togbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti V, the Aflao Traditional Council, and the people of Aflao for this unacceptable disrespect.
- A public clarification and retraction of statements that unfairly stigmatize the Volta Region and its border communities.
- Greater respect for traditional authority, established protocol, and meaningful consultation with local stakeholders in all future engagements.
The people of Aflao have always stood for peace, national unity, and constructive cooperation with state institutions. However, we shall not remain silent when our traditional institutions are treated with contempt and our homeland is unfairly portrayed before the nation.
Respect for traditional authority is not a favour; it is a duty. Respect for the people is not optional; it is an obligation. On this occasion, the Minister failed in both.
SIGNED
Mengistu Agorbia
Ag. Chairman
Aflao Youth Association
Aflao, Volta Region
