Barbed wires erected along the Ghana-Ivory Coast border at Elubo in the Western Region which were destroyed by some unknown persons some four months ago have still not been fixed. 

Immigration officials are worried over the situation because, it is hindering efforts to detect and screen persons for Ebola. 

Assistant Controller of Immigration (ACOI) at the Elubo border, Smart Osei-Bonsu told Interior Minister, Mark Woyongo during a visit to the place in October 2014, that his men do not have the resources needed to patrol the border at night, the time when smugglers patronize those routes.

However, Joy News’ Seth Kwame Boateng, who is on a visit to the area with the Ebola Emergency Operations Team, reports that the situation is still as it was four months ago. The team includes Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Victor Bampoe.

Mr. Osei-Bonsu maintained his men do not feel safe enough to patrol the area at night.

“Because we are not armed, it is very difficult for us to work at night…We can’t endanger the [lives] of human beings who are unarmed against smugglers who might be carrying other things along,” he told Dr. Bampoe.

Mr. Bampoe said despite the challenges, government is determined to do all it can to ensure Ghana records no Ebola case. 

He, therefore, urged the security personnel not to give in to the existing challenge but continue to work hard to ensure that the country remains Ebola-free. 

“We are very mindful of the fact that at any time one case of Ebola can turn things upside down and so we are not relenting on our efforts and we hope you are not relenting in your efforts as well…because we recognize that [with] one case and then all the hard work you’ve done will go down the drain”.