19 Nigeriens busted for entering Ghana through unapproved routes

Immigration Officials at the Hamile border in the Upper West Region have rounded up 19 Nigeriens who were en route to Burkina Faso but were using Ghana as a transit point.

They allegedly entered Ghana using unapproved routes.

Initial investigation by the Ghana Immigration Service revealed the migrants aged between 14 and 43 had planned to sneak into Burkina Faso for farming purposes.

Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service in the region in a statement said the Nigeriens have been screened by port health officials and sent back to Kumasi where they settled upon their arrival in Ghana.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that they were in Ghana around Ashanti Region for some time now. The migration was to sneak into Burkina Faso en route Niger for farming purposes. They were screened by the Port Health personnel. They were sent back to Kumasi and its environs on board a VIP bus,” the statement indicated.

Burkinabes arrested 

In a related development, 10 Burkina Faso nationals have been apprehended at the Babile inland checkpoint in the Upper West Region on Friday, May 29, 2020 at about 23:50 GMT.

 

Preliminary investigations by Immigration Officials revealed that the ten had sneaked into Ghana through unapproved routes.

They are made up of seven males and three females with their ages ranging between two and 31.

Onboard a commercial Yutong bus with registration number GT 4356-16, they were destined for Kumasi and Bole respectively.

The arrest was made by the officials during a routine exercise to screen and profile persons in buses in vehicular traffic.

Meanwhile, the illegal migrants have been screened and okayed by the Port Health Officials.

They have since been handed over to the Burkina Faso authorities on the other side of the border at the Hamile post.

Since the border closure, many foreign nationals have been arrested in different parts of the country using unapproved routes to enter the country.

Most of these people, after investigations and tests, are noted to be carriers of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has indicated that foreigners who enter into Ghana when the country’s borders have been closed will be dealt with together with their Ghanaian accomplices.

Source: citinewsroom.com