Over 200 illegal immigrants arrested since border closure – Immigration Service

The Ghana Immigration Service says it has arrested over 200 illegal immigrants since the closure of the country’s international borders.

The arrests were made in about 26 separate incidents.

Ghana’s borders have been closed since the 22nd of March, 2020 as part of the government’s measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The immigration service has had to arrest a number of illegal immigrants who entered the country through unapproved routes with the latest being seven Burkinabes at the Ghana-Burkina Faso border.

The Public Affairs officer of the Upper West Regional Immigration Service, Ibn Yussif Duranah, in a Citi News interview described the situation as a cause for concern.

“So far as I am concerned, we’ve recorded as many as 26 arrests from March that the borders were closed comprising as many persons as 196 and its a cause for concern. Some of the technicalities involved here are that Ghana we have our lockdown but have we received any repatriated Ghanaians from Burkina Faso, and that’s not the case because we have ensured that this directive by the president which is already our mandate is adhered to its fullest,” he expressed.

We’ll deal with illegal immigrants, Ghanaian accomplices – Nana Addo

President Nana Akufo Addo has already promised to deal with foreigners who enter Ghana and nationals who aid them illegally.

He warned that “not only will persons who enter our country illegally be strictly dealt with, but so will Ghanaians who facilitate their entry.”

“These are unpatriotic acts and must stop. We cannot continue to allow a few persons, who are motivated by their own selfish, money-making interests, to endanger the lives of the rest of the population.”

The President had earlier closed the country’s borders indefinitely as part of measures to fight the Coronavirus.