Foreign Affairs Ministry denies demanding payment from family of Ghanaian student who died in Latvia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has denied allegations that it demanded or received money from the family of Nana Agyei Ahiya, the Ghanaian student who died under disputed circumstances in Latvia.
In a press statement issued on Monday, February 2, 2026, the Ministry rejected claims circulating on social media that officials asked the bereaved family to make payments to facilitate travel arrangements to Latvia.
The Ministry also dismissed reports that government officials travelled without a family representative and that a fake airline ticket was issued to the mother of the deceased.
“At no time has the Ministry, or any government official acting on its behalf, demanded or received any form of payment from the family,” the statement said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Government of Ghana is fully bearing the cost of all travel arrangements,” it added.
The case has drawn wide public attention since the death of 18-year-old Nana Agyei Ahiya in June 2025 in Riga, Latvia.
Latvian authorities initially reported that the student died after falling from a sixth-floor apartment building, a conclusion the family has challenged. Relatives have pointed to gaps in the investigation and have called on the Ghanaian government to intervene to secure an independent and transparent probe.
In August 2025, the family formally petitioned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, raising concerns about the absence of forensic reports, the lack of CCTV footage review and what they described as an early ruling of suicide.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, later confirmed that the government had activated diplomatic channels to look into the matter and to support the family in its search for justice.
As part of these steps, a fact-finding mission from Ghana’s Embassy in Germany, which also covers Latvia, travelled to Riga and submitted a preliminary report to the Ministry.
The latest statement sought to clarify issues surrounding plans to facilitate the family’s travel to Latvia.
It said travel arrangements for two nominated family members had been scheduled for January 31, 2026, but could not proceed because visas had not been issued by Latvian authorities.
According to the Ministry, the delay followed the failure of the family members to present all required documents during their visa appointments.
The Ministry also explained that a document circulating online as proof of a confirmed airline ticket was only an itinerary generated to support the visa application process.
“She was expressly informed by the Ministry’s official in contact with her that the document in her possession was not a confirmed airline ticket, but merely an itinerary, and that travel was not possible in the absence of her passport,” the statement said.
It added that the mother of the deceased was informed on Friday evening and again on Saturday morning that travel could not go ahead because the visas were still pending, and her passport remained with the embassy.
Despite these communications, the Ministry said she later went to the airport with bloggers and attempted to travel using the itinerary document.
The Ministry said false claims and rising public agitation were making it harder to secure the necessary visas and to move the case forward.
“The deliberate distortion of facts and the circulation of misinformation on a matter of this gravity are deeply regrettable and undermine the quest for justice,” the statement said.
The Ministry appealed to the public and the media to allow due process to proceed, and assured Ghanaians of continued support for the family and ongoing efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.
It said engagements with Latvian authorities were continuing and expressed the expectation that the outstanding visas would be issued to allow the family to travel and take part directly in the ongoing processes.
