The Paramount Chief of the Aflao Traditional Area and President of the Aflao Traditional Council, Togbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti V, has strongly challenged recent claims by Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak regarding the existence of more than 100 alleged illegal entry routes in the Volta Region.

Describing the minister's comments as troubling and disappointing, the traditional ruler argued that they fail to reflect the historical, geographical and socio-economic realities of communities living along Ghana's eastern border.

In a strongly worded statement, Togbui Amenya Fiti cautioned that characterising the routes solely as illegal corridors risks unfairly stigmatising border communities that have relied on them for generations for legitimate social and economic activities.

According to him, similar allegations were levelled against chiefs and residents of the Volta Region under previous administrations, with traditional leaders accused of facilitating the movement of foreigners through unapproved routes for political purposes.

He noted that those accusations were never substantiated, yet they created a damaging perception that border communities were complicit in unlawful activities.

The Paramount Chief recalled that the Standing Committee of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs was previously invited to engage government authorities on concerns about recurring misconceptions surrounding the region's borders.

He said traditional leaders had proposed the establishment of a border re-demarcation committee to address longstanding concerns and clarify issues relating to the movement of people across the Ghana-Togo frontier.

Togbui Amenya Fiti argued that many of the routes now being described as illegal existed long before the creation of modern Ghana and Togo. According to him, they historically served as access routes linking families, farms, markets, shrines and communities that predate colonial boundaries.

"The people of Aflao and other border communities did not create these borders," he stressed, noting that colonial authorities divided communities that had lived together for centuries.

He explained that beneath the official boundaries lie deep family, cultural and economic ties that continue to sustain livelihoods on both sides of the border.

According to the chief, thousands of residents depend on cross-border trade, farming, fishing and transportation for their livelihoods, while agricultural produce from border communities contributes significantly to food supplies in major urban centres, including Accra.

He cautioned against narratives that portray border residents as criminals, insisting that the overwhelming majority are law-abiding citizens engaged in legitimate economic activities.

The Aflao Paramount Chief also highlighted what he described as persistent challenges at some official border posts, including harassment, extortion and intimidation of travellers, which he said may encourage the use of alternative routes.

He further expressed concern over growing security challenges within the border enclave, citing incidents of armed robbery, violent attacks and murders in Aflao and surrounding communities.

According to him, such conditions have created opportunities for criminal networks and smugglers to exploit travellers by directing them through unauthorised routes for financial gain.

Rather than blaming border communities, Togbui Amenya Fiti called on the government to strengthen security infrastructure, improve intelligence gathering, increase professional border patrols, recruit more security personnel and address corruption within the border management system.

He questioned how more than 100 unauthorised routes could exist if successive governments and security agencies had effectively monitored the country's borders.

The traditional ruler urged authorities to regard border communities as partners in national security efforts rather than suspects, emphasising that chiefs and local leaders possess valuable knowledge that can support border management and crime prevention.

He also called for greater recognition of the contribution of Volta Region residents to national development, warning against narratives that repeatedly cast suspicion on entire communities.

Togbui Amenya Fiti concluded by urging the government to address the historical, economic and security realities shaping life along Ghana's borders, insisting that national security is best strengthened through cooperation, trust, development and effective governance.

He described border communities as Ghana's first point of contact with neighbouring countries and longstanding custodians of peace, trade and cultural integration.