The Defence Ministry has cautioned Ghanaian traders to avoid going to Niger for business purposes at this time.

This follows the recent shooting of a Ghanaian truck driver and the burning of his truck in Burkina Faso by unidentified assailants.

Also, three trucks carting foodstuff from Niger to Ghana have been burnt at the Burkina Faso border by suspected terrorists.

Before now, several drivers have died in similar attacks with over ten Ghanaian trucks set ablaze.

Speaking to JoyNews, the Deputy Defence Minister, Kofi Amankwaa Manu, said it will be difficult for Ghanaian forces to protect the traders and drivers beyond the country’s borders.

According to him, the areas where these attacks were carried out are beyond Ghana’s territorial jurisdiction, thus the country will be unable to provide traders and their drivers with any protection.

“Obviously, once it is outside the jurisdiction of this country it becomes difficult especially with all the noise in the sub-region. In Niger itself, I don’t think the citizens of that country are safe. With the coup and the uncertainty and all that, they themselves are not safe.

“And coupled with the fact that countries have now closed borders with them and there have been sanctions on them and all that, they themselves are not too certain as to what tomorrow is bringing to them. So at this time, it is difficult and it’s not even safe for anybody to go to Niger to do business. It is not,” he said.

He has thus urged traders and drivers to stay away from Niger till after the situation in that country has improved.

“We all know the situation in Niger, you don’t need a scientist to tell you what is happening. And so it is very difficult for one to now go to Niger to do business, it is very difficult,” he said.