Irish arrested at Tema Port restricted area

An Irish national, identified as David Kammermeier, has been arrested by security men of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Tema for allegedly loitering suspiciously around Berth 13 of the Tema Port, which is a restricted area.

The suspect was picked up about 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.

Also in the custody of the security agencies at the port are two Ghanaians alleged to have facilitated access to the port by the foreigner.

They are Hassan Salah, an Internet café administrator, and Nicolas Ocansey, a clearing agent.

Salah, according to preliminary investigations by the port security officials, assisted the Irish with accommodation during his stay in Ghana, while Ocansey allegedly aided him to gain entry to the port.

A source at the port told the Daily Graphic that during interrogations, the alleged intruder said he was trying to find a way to travel to Europe by sea and that was why he was seen loitering around the restricted area of the port.

Separate travel visas

According to the source, it was also discovered during interrogation that Kammermeier had in his procession about five different passports of different nationalities, thereby casting doubt about his integrity.

The source said when the suspect was asked why he had not tried going to his embassy for assistance, Kammermeier stated that he did not want to be a burden on his country.

Based on visa records in his passport, the source said Kammermeier had travelled across North and West Africa.

BNI

Meanwhile, the three suspects have been handed over to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) for further interrogations.

The Tema Port Security Manager, Lt Col Joseph Punamane, when contacted, confirmed the arrest but declined further comments, indicating that the matter was still under investigations by authorities of GPHA.

The Tema Port is a restricted area and anyone without valid identification is not allowed entry into the port facility.

Measures

To enforce that, the GPHA recently introduced new security identification tags and without proper identification, no one is allowed into the port.

Any attempt to enter the port without proper identification is regarded as an offence and culprits are made to face the law.