Danger is looming between the Ketu South District Security Council (DISEC) and the Clearing and Freight Forwarders at Aflao following a decongestion exercise that started three days ago along the Ghana-Togo border with commercial activities coming to a halt. A joint police-military patrol deployed to the Aflao border to carry out the exercise were reportedly demolishing office buildings belonging to perceived Clearing and Freight Forwarders operating on the stretch of land earmarked for a Security Zone, without prior notification. The exercise, described by some importers and exporters as unlawful, angered some leading members of the Aflao branch of the Clearing and Freight Forwarders Association, who vowed to hit the streets by 3:00pm later to register their displeasure as well as mount road blocks to stop the evacuation exercise and also physically assault the security detachment present. The Aflao branch manager of Samtashie Africa Limited, Mr. Daniel Akpalu, vehemently condemned the exercise and blamed the officials of CEPS for disregarding the concerns of import and export service providers at the border town. According to Daniel Akpalu, most of his colleague service providers, including his own staff, have been driven out of their offices without being given a new apartment to relocate, a situation he noted was very much uncalled for. He disclosed that his outfit had explored all means possible to have their concerns resolved but the appropriate authorities failed to consider their plea, but instead, went ahead to eject them so as to make a way for the offices to be demolished. Mr. Akpalu described the attempt by the DISEC to make the piece of land stretching from the former CEPS barrier to the main border a security zone, as a political propagandist ploy to sabotage all NPP business personnel operating in and around the border town and therefore appealed to President John Evans Atta-Mills to call the security patrol carrying out the exercise to order. He alleged that the Ketu District Security Council failed to follow due developmental procedures and had therefore rendered the decongestion exercise meaningless and unsuccessful. He warned that government is likely to suffer a great loss of revenue since most commercial activities including import and export are likely to be diverted from the Aflao border to unapproved routes along the Ghana-Togo border which serves as a safe haven for smugglers. He appealed to government to give them some few days grace period to relocate as it would be difficult to pack bag and baggage within the shortest time possible. In a letter dated June 23, 2010, signed and addressed to Holy Fm, a local radio station at Aflao, for public announcement, by the Ketu South District Chief Executive, Bernard Frank Amarble, who also doubles as the DISEC chairman, all money changers and transport providers operating within the security zone were asked to relocate with immediate effect. The DISEC also put a ban on all commercial activities involving buying and selling. Commuters in the border town have also alleged that the security personnel are taking undue advantage of the decongestion exercise to intimidate citizens and thereby creating panic at Aflao and its immediate environs. Story Story by Victor Nyakey, Aflao