Twenty illegal migrants have been repatriated to Burkina Faso by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in the Upper West Region after they were apprehended at Hamile for entering the region through unapproved routes.
Explaining the incident to the Ghanaian Times at Wa on Wednesday, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GIS in the region, Assistant Inspector Yussif Duranah Abdul-Mumin Seidu indicated that the migrants were identified amongst travellers on board a VIP bus with registration number AS1612-20 which was heading towards Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
“The illegal migrants, made up of 19 Burkinabes and a Malian, were intercepted by the Hamile Sector Command after they received an intelligence report on their activities,” he said.
He stated that upon enquiry, it was revealed that the illegal migrants were travelling to Techiman in the Bono East and Sampa in the Bono regions respectively as well as Kumasi for various livelihood activities.
“The migrants were taken through health screening at the border and were handed over to our counterparts at Burkina Faso,” he said.
Asst Insp. Seidu reiterated that the borders of the country by land still remained closed and cautioned them against sneaking into the country through illegal routes.
The Regional Commander for the GIS in the region, Chief Superintendent (C/Supt) William Peter Andoh said to further strengthen the vigilance prowess of the GIS official in the region to contain the issue of illegal migration; an inland checkpoint had been established at Ga on the Wa-Kumasi Highway.
That, he said, would help check the movement of illegal migrants who managed to manoeuvre their way into the regional capital in order to board commercial vehicles to other parts of the country.
“Aside the President’s directive on the closure of our land borders as part of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (CODVID-19) infections, the GIS is mandated to regulate migration to and from Ghana and so we shall not relent on our efforts to halt activities of illegal migrants,” he stated.
Chief Supt. Andoh cautioned residents along the border against facilitating the movement of such migrants from their countries into Ghana and said the service would not condone the activities of such perpetrators if they were caught.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
