As a result of the illicit transport of drugs by land, air and sea, governments all over the world have tightened their internal security to ensure that no such illicit products enter their respective countries. At most international airports, sniffer dogs are used to crack down on these drug carriers or smugglers.
But in most of the cases, the sniffer dogs are used after the security has picked up intelligence on individuals or when a flight arrived from countries that are considered the hub of cocaine trafficking in the world.
Though Ghana, strictly speaking, is not considered as one of the cocaine producing countries, or where the cocaine business is thriving, The Chronicle will not be bothered if her citizens are sometimes searched at the various airports using sniffer dogs.
In fact, to set a sniffer dog on a passenger at the airport is very demeaning, but since that is the practice in most countries, especially the advanced ones, we do not have qualms with that. The Chronicle is, however, shocked that the United States of America security decided to extend these normal practices beyond the boundaries of their airports.
The Ghana Premier League Champions, Medeama Football Club, is currently in the US to play friendly matches, as part of their preparations towards the Africa version of the Champions League.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, players and officials of the team are seen being searched with a sniffer dog at the venue where they were going to play one of the matches.
As a matter of fact, a security man was positioned right at the entrance of the bus, and as each player got down, he was searched by the sniffer dog to ascertain whether he was carrying illicit drugs in his backpack or not.
The Medeama players entered the country through a properly designated airport, where they went through all security checks before they were allowed to enter the country.
The Chronicle is, therefore, at a loss as to why these players should be searched again, but this time using a sniffer dog at the venue where they were going to play the match. Some of you may disagree with us, but frankly speaking, we see this as a racist or discriminatory attitude on the part of the US security.
No one can convince The Chronicle that players and officials of well-established teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Barcelona and Arsenal, just to mention just a few, will be subjected to this kind of inhumane treatment at a match venue in the US.
To us, at The Chronicle, it is not only the players and officials of Medeama Football Club who the US security humiliated, but the entire citizens of this country. They obviously see us as non-entities who must not be accorded any human dignity.
One wonders how the US will react if Ghana should set sniffer dogs on players and officials of one of their football teams at the Accra Sports Stadium, before they are allowed entry.
The fate suffered by the Medeama players has convinced The Chronicle that the past two presidents US has produced – Donal Trump and Joe Bidden – were or are championing of a racist agenda against Africans.
Since 1992, all successive presidents of the US – Bill Clinton, George Walker Bush, Barack Obama – have visited Africa, with the exception of Donald Trump and Joe Bidden, who only sent their representatives to visit the Black Continent.
Without being accused of veering into the realm of politics, we believe the disregard for Africa by both Trump and Bidden is what we believe is gradually promoting the disrespect some Americans having for the people of the black race.
Since Ghana is a sovereign state, we advise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send an official complaint letter to the US embassy in Ghana, protesting against how the Medeama players were treated. Should the embassy fail to give proper reason(s) why the players and officials were treated that way, Ghana should also retaliate.
Yes, American is a powerful country, but that does not make her citizens better human beings than us in Ghana and Africa as a whole. Under no circumstance should this humiliation suffered by the Medeama players be repeated in future. We rest our case.
