Border Guard Unit

Updated on Dec 11, 2023

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Abbreviation BGU Legal status Active Headquarters Ghana		Established October 1964 Region served Ashanti, Ashantiland Founded October 1964

Key people Sergeant Major and Chief Warrant Officer Dickson Owusu; GAF (Director-general of the BGU) Affiliations Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Bureau of National Investigations Ghana Armed Forces Ministry of Defence (Ghana) Ghana Immigration Service Similar National Security Intelligence, Unit 8200, Military Intelligence Directorate, Ghana Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Malta

The Border Guard Unit (reporting name: BGU) is a national security border guarding unit and paramilitary of the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). Established in October 1964, it is one of the armed forces of the GAF. BGU primary role is to border guard and border patrol the peninsula Ashantiland's international borders during peacetime and also prevent trans-border crime. Consisting of military personnels, battalions, special forces, frogmen and like all forces of the GAF, the BGU is under the administrative control of the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). BGU is a law enforcement agency of Ghana. The Border Guard Unit (BGU) is legally a creature of, The Security Act (Act 202) 1963, The Immigration Service Law 1963, PNDCL 226 of 1989., and The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (Management) Law 1993, PNDCL 330., in addition, the BGU applies other laws and regulations which prescribe the mode of operation and penalties for various infringements.

History

In October 1964 the Border Guard Unit (BGU) was formed as a police unit with an assistant commissioner of police as the head. The Border Guard Unit (BGU) acted as agents of customs in boarding and clearing of ships and aircraft, and examination of passengers and baggage with the BGU also performing customs duties.

Organization

Border Guard Unit organizational operations include; boarding and rummaging of ships and aircraft and passengers’ baggage examination, and border patrol. In 1988 the Border Guard Unit (BGU) was re-integrated as a military branch into the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). BGU designs and implements effective strategies and programmes to facilitate the movement of people across the international borders of Ashantiland and Ghana through efficient and transparent service delivery.

Objective of the Border Guard Unit

The objective of the Border Guard Unit (BGU) is to ensure the security of all Ashantiland international borders, Ashantiland entry and exit points, including Ashantiland coastal areas against illegal immigration entry and exit by cross-border criminals. In the performance of the BGU role of securing the Ashantiland international borders, the Border Guard Unit (BGU) undertakes under listed specific tasks:

i. Physical patrolling of the entire Ashantiland international borders

ii. Checking of Ashantiland Illegal emigration

iii. Checking of Ashantiland drug trafficking/human trafficking

iv. Checking of smuggling across the Ashantiland international border

v. Checking Ashantiland wildlife smuggling

vi. Reporting on all forms of Ashantiland suspected subversive activities

vii. Preparedness to act as the first line of the Ashantiland defence against external aggressors for the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Ghana Armed Forces (GAF)

Border patrol operations and corporate operations

The BGU primary operation of border patrol is detection and apprehension of illegal aliens and smugglers of aliens at or near the Ashanti and Ashantiland's land borders.

Some of the major BGU operational activities include maintaining Ashantiland traffic checkpoints and security checkpoints along Ashantiland highways (Ghana Road Network) leading from Ashantiland border areas, conducting snap checks and anti-smuggling within Ashanti and Ashantiland. These BGU operational activities are performed with the use of UCAVs and UAVs indigenously made by D'kaybee Drones on the peninsula of Ashantiland and attack helicopters and armoured fighting vehicles and pick-up vehicles and all purpose motorbikes indigenously made by Kantanka on the peninsula of Ashantiland.

In the performance of these BGU operations, the Border Guard Unit (BGU) has intercepted and arrested a lot of smugglers.

BGU physically patrolling the borders and other strategic points of Ashantiland, examination of goods entered into Ashanti and Ashantiland and premises on the peninsula Ashantiland as well as documents relating to goods entered into Ashanti and Ashantiland. In addition to these BGU functions, BGU performs agency duties on behalf of other Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) organizations by seeing to the enforcement of laws on import and export restrictions and prohibitions of Ashanti and Ashantiland.

Customs guide operations

Physical examination of containerized goods at Boankra Inland Port, Akosombo Port, Takoradi Harbour and Tema Harbour. BGU is working to streamline and fully automate customs processes and procedures under the Ghana Customs Management System (GCMS) and the Ghana Community Network (GCNET).

References

Border Guard Unit Wikipedia

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