U/W: 16 ECOWAS nationals arrested, deported for entering Ghana illegally

Officials of the Ghana Immigration Service at the Babile inland post in the Upper West Region have arrested 16 ECOWAS nationals for entering the country through unapproved routes.

They were arrested at about 03:22 GMT on Friday, January 29, 2021.

Preliminary investigations revealed that they had all sneaked into Ghana through unapproved routes.

They were arrested in two separate swoops by the vigilant personnel acting on a “tip-off.”

The five were on board a bus with registration number AK-867-20 bound for Greater Accra Region for farming activities.

The ages of the busted irregular migrants range between 21 and 39 years.

This was contained in a press statement issued by the Service.

The statement further added that “The Ghana Immigration Service of the Upper West Regional Command wishes to remind the public, especially, our ECOWAS neighbours that in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, our land borders remained closed to human traffic and as such it is illegal to attempt to enter Ghana through an unapproved route.”

Similarly, Immigration officials at the Ga inland checkpoint also in the Upper West Region have arrested five Burkinabe nationals for entering the country through unapproved routes.

They were arrested at about 11:07 GMT on Sunday, January 17, 2021.

Border closure: We'll deal with illegal immigrants, Ghanaian accomplices – Nana Addo

Although Ghana’s air borders were opened in September 2020, the country’s land and sea borders are still closed to human traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has earlier warned that foreigners who enter into Ghana illegally will be dealt with together with their Ghanaian accomplices.

Akufo-Addo expressed his displeasure over how “a few Ghanaians are aiding some West African nationals to enter our country [Ghana] illegally, despite the closure of our borders. Not only will persons who enter our country illegally be strictly dealt with, but so will Ghanaians who facilitate their entry”.

“These are unpatriotic acts and must stop. We cannot continue to allow a few persons, who are motivated by their own selfish, money-making interests, to endanger the lives of the rest of the population.”

---citinewsroom