It is emerging that aside from its core mandate, the National Security, has been drifting into other activities including seizure of fuel products and auctioning of same.
These unsanctioned operations are said to be hurting businesses because in most cases, victims are powerless and are afraid of the repercussions of coming out.
Businesses end up losing so much to these activities of the operatives.
Per the law, the setup has a goal to formulate, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the implementation of security and intelligence policies through the deployment of skilled human resources and modern technology, for stakeholders to enhance security, freedom of the citizenry, and national development.
Yet for some time now, operatives of National Security, have turned the outfit into an auctioning agency, seizing fuel products from private owners and selling them into private pockets.
The modus operandi it is emerging is operatives who move about in parts of the country, seize these fuel tankers with claims of diversion on the part of owners.
This happens even though, mostly, tanker drivers load the fuel at storage points at Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) with National Petroleum Authority (NPA) tracker fixed on them.
After managing to seize the tanker, these operatives who sources say include some top officials, do not inform the right agency which in this case is the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), to take appropriate steps to auction the fuel and proceeds paid into state coffers.
Within a period of one or two weeks, the fuel is auctioned.
They have allegedly created a private account where these illegal auctioning of fuel are paid into. A case in point is one that happened in the Western Regional capital Takoradi.
A very top official is alleged to have traveled from Accra to the oil city to auction the seized tanker with an auctioneer without the knowledge of the owner. After the operation, they quickly returned to base in Accra.
This is said to have happened in May this year. A very recent one is alleged to have happened about three weeks ago.
This particular one reportedly occurred in Accra. The tanker was seized with the excuse of diversion even though there was an NPA tracker on it, showing where the tanker was heading to.
The tanker was seized from Takoradi and swiftly moved to Accra. Immediately it arrived in Accra, the product was auctioned quickly.
Before the owner could arrive to make his case, the fuel had secretly been auctioned.
Sources say because of the tag on the National Security and the way they operate, their victims are unable to challenge their actions and so they are left to do nothing except to move their empty tankers away in most cases.
These operatives according to multiple sources, have been doing this for some time now on the blind side of Ghanaians.
