17 Burkinabe, one Ivorian illegal immigrants arrested

A combined team of officials from the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has arrested 17 Burkinabes and an Ivorian who entered the country illegally through Sewum in the Aowin municipality, in spite of the fact that Ghana’s borders have been closed.

The 18 West African nationals were on board two Nissan mini-buses, with registration numbers GX 2137-17 and AS 1899-17, heading to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The arrest of the 18 brings to 190 the number of people who have been intercepted and repatriated by GIS in the Western Region through intensified surveillance/patrols, and with the support of the various sister security agencies, since the closure of the country’s borders.

The closure of the borders, which has been in force since March 23, forms part of the interventions in place to help stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic through importation.

Operation

Briefing the Daily Graphic on the latest exercise, the Western Regional Public Affairs Officer of the GIS, Assistant Inspector Moses Manford Akakpo, said the suspects were picked through intelligence carried out by joint operations involving the GIS and the BNI last Friday night.

He said the 18 were being prepared for repatriation through the same route by which they arrived in Ghana.

“These all-male suspects are aged between 17 and 55, according to the information retrieved on their ID cards indicating their nationality,” he said.

Aided

Preliminary investigations conducted after the buses had been intercepted, he said, proved that all the suspects had entered the country through the illegal route at Sewum in the Aowin municipality in the Western North Region.

They managed to secure the services of two mini-bus drivers to transport them from Sewum to various parts of the country.

He said the GIS had been engaging residents of border towns to refrain from assisting foreigners from entering the country illegally, given the potential threat in the spread of the COVID-19.

“The truth remains that these migrants pose serious security challenges to the country, in the wake of our fight against the dreaded covid-19 pandemic.

“Every traveller who arrives in the country is a potential carrier, but, unfortunately, residents of border towns, as a result of economic benefits, are assisting these people to enter illegally,” Mr Akakpo said.

Commitment

He said the regional command of the GIS had reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the continued maintenance of optimum security in the various entry points in the region to avert the importation of new covid-19 cases.

“We cannot do this without the support of our stakeholders who form part of our intelligence network. We are, therefore, appealing to all well-meaning Ghanaians in the region, especially those in leadership in the communities dotted along our borders, as well as transport operators, to assist by volunteering useful information to us,” he said.

Municipal security

He said there was a municipal security heads emergency meeting which resolved to ensure the immediate repatriation of those 18 illegal migrants through the Sewum Border Post, through which they had arrived in Ghana.

He said the second in command at the Dadieso Sector of GIS, DSI Mr Desmond Alabison, and his team were carrying out further investigations before finally handing over the 18, who were currently in custody, to the Ivorian authorities.

Togolese at Zebilla

In a similar exercise, GIS officials at Zebila in the Upper East Region last Saturday deported 36 Togolese after they had been apprehended for using unapproved routes to enter Ghana.

The arrest of the 36 followed intensified patrols by immigration officials in the wake of the closure of Ghana’s borders by the President.

They were arrested when they used the Poulimakon and Widana frontiers, unapproved routes, to enter Ghana.

They managed to travel through the area and eventually arrived in Bawku, from where they were going to board a vehicle for Accra.

Background

The GIS has said with the closure of Ghana’s 48 approved borders, many travellers from neighbouring countries have tried to enter the country illegally, with the help of some residents of border communities.

The borders have remained closed since March 23 as part of the measures to stop the importation of COVID-19, as most of the cases of the disease recorded in Ghana are from travellers who arrived from abroad.

The service has thus warned to deal ruthlessly with both those who enter illegally and residents of border towns who help such foreigners to come to Ghana.

Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Mr Samuel Basintale Amadu told the Daily Graphic: “The service has decided to be ruthless with illegal entries and exits. Reports from our team members at the various borders indicate that many interceptions are going on, and once we gather the evidence, those involved will be prosecuted.

“We have asked our officers to compile the evidence and get it well documented. Once we have that incontrovertible evidence, we will take those involved to court and prosecute them.”