A heated altercation between personnel from the Ghana Police Service and Customs officials erupted into heavy gunfire yesterday at the Missiga Immigration Service checkpoint in Bawku.

The confrontation was sparked by a disagreement over the inspection of a truck suspected of smuggling cocoa beans into Togo which escalated into a dangerous standoff.

According to reliable security sources, the fight started when police officers refused to allow Customs officials to inspect the truck, which was believed to be carrying bags of smuggled cocoa beans.

The customs officials, who were determined to investigate the truck’s cargo, demanded access, but their police counterparts resisted, triggering a rapid escalation of the situation.

What began as a verbal dispute quickly turned violent as both police and Customs officers opened fire on each other.

It was only through the swift intervention of soldiers, who were called in to restore order, that the situation was brought under control.

The soldiers managed to diffuse the conflict, preventing further bloodshed between the two state agencies.