Immigration Service on why a traveler was stopped at Kotoka International Airport 

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has explained that a traveller who was prevented from embarking on a trip via the Kotoka International Airport has been cleared and successfully embarked on his trip.

It said an action to stop the traveller from embarking on the trip initially was because his name was on the police stop list that had been lodged with the GIS since 2013.

The Head of Public Affairs of the GIS, Chief Superintendent, Michael Amoako-Atta, clarifying the incident in a press statement dated September 14, 2023, explained that the traveller was leaving Ghana for France, but was stopped as “he had been on the police stop list since 2013.

“He was subsequently released to the Ghana Police Service for necessary actions,” the statement indicated. 

Incident

Last week, a video of a man who was stopped from travelling at the Kotoka International Airport was circulated on the internet, which generated various reactions from the public, particularly, on social media.

Clarification

However, Mr Amoako-Atta emphasised that the immigration officers only carried out their mandate by preventing the man from travelling as per the documents he presented at the counter, his name matched a name on the stop list presented by the Ghana Police Service as far back as 2013.

“However, since the stop list had not been reviewed, we only carried out our mandate by working with the stop list, by preventing the traveller from embarking on his trip and then handed him over to the Airport Police,” the head of the Immigration Public Affairs Directorate explained.

He said after the incident which happened on September 9, 2023, the police subsequently cleared him and he finally left Ghana for his foreign destination on September 14, 2023.

The GIS Head of Public Affairs said a letter from the lawyers of the traveller, demanding an explanation was sent to the GIS.

“Once the police who had given the stop list had cleared the passenger in question, the Immigration Service arranged with the airline and the traveller, consequently embarked on his trip. He left Ghana on September 14.

“We responded to the letter accordingly, and once all the issues were cleared, the GIS made arrangements with the concerned airline to allow the traveller and his family to travel,” Amoako-Atta stated.

He stressed that the GIS does not deal with security issues, unless it was related to migration, thus if any security agency requested for an action related to departures and arrivals, once that mandate was carried out, the person in question was subsequently handed over to the security agency that requested for the intervention. 

“It must also be put on record that the Ghana Immigration Service as an institution deals with security issues. Names of passengers come up for analysis if they are similar to those of security interest. Interactions are therefore made with such persons with no intended malice,” it added. 

Mr Amoako-Atta assured the public that the GIS will continue to manage migration in the interest of national security and the socioeconomic development of the country.