The National President of the Ghana Union Traders Association (GUTA), Joseph Kwaku Obeng has called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure all Ghanaian locked up goods in Benin are returned to their owners.

This follows the closure of the Nigeria borders over the past three months to prevent the influx of foreign rice into their market.

According to the President of GUTA no formal information has been sent to the country to pre-inform Ghanaians ahead of the decision taken.

He said closing the Nigerian borders is not a problem, but it becomes a problem when ECOWAS seems to be silent on the matter.

He added that ECOWAS protocol has been nullified, something ECOWAS and the Ghanaian government should not be silent on.

He insisted the continuous silence is affecting the business of Ghanaians and other neighboring countries.

According to him, ECOWAS has to explain the happenings since this action by the Nigerian Government is not the first.

Mr Joseph Obeng also said the development will have dire consequences on the Ghanaian economy.

According to him, the case is more serious since all the locked-up goods of other countries in Benin may find its way smuggled into the country.

He further said the situation is seriously going to affect the Ghanaian businesses.

He revealed that the Foreign Ministry appeared to have little or no knowledge on the matter until it was reported in the newspapers on Thursday.

He called on the sector Minister to ensure citizens’ goods are transported home.

Mr Obeng said the best thing Ghanaians could have done was to close the Ghanaian borders in order to prevent smuggling of goods from Nigeria into the country.