Fifteen Ghanaians Deported from Spain to Ghana

Bolgatanga, April 18, GNA - Fifteen Ghanaians, with ages ranging between from 17 and 34 years, were on Thursday deported by the government of Spain to Ghana for illegally entering the country. They are Mr. Alex Antwi, 28, Mr. Kwasi Appiah, 23, Mr. Kwame Alex, 25, Mr. Thomas Boateng, 26, Mr. Kojo Antwi, 25, Mr. Kwasi Obeng, 25 and Mr. Kojo Yakubu 29, all from Teacheman.

The rest are Nana Kofi 34, from Kwahu, Mr. Kobi Bright, 30, Cape Coast, Mr. Jojo Kwame, Cape Coast, Mr. Kofi Otu 30, Mankessim, Mr. Kofi Akwa 34, Kumasi, Mr. William Ayaba, 23, Sunyani, Mr. Fifi Kojo, 20, Berekum and Mr. Agyei Kwabina, 17 Berekum. Narrating their ordeal their leader, Mr. Alex Antwi, said they travelled through Mali, Algeria to Morocco and to Spain but were deported to Algeria where they served one month in prison before they were released.

He said there are about another 100 Ghanaians deported from Spain and are in Algerian prisons. Mr Antwi said after their release by the Algerian authorities they travelled to Mali where they met a Catholic priest who assisted them to enter Ouagadougou.

In Ouagadougou they met a Ghanaian articulator truck driver who transported them through the Paga border to the Upper East Region where they decided to seek assistance from the Regional Coordinating Council to enable them to get to their hometowns.

Addressing them Mrs. Agnes Chegabatia, Upper East Deputy Regional Minister who received them in the presence of Mr. Daniel Taabazuing, Commander of Immigration in charge of Upper East Region, told them to take lessons from what they had gone through.

Most of the deportees GNA spoke to vowed never to travel to look for greener pasture outside Ghana and that the hardships they went through had taught them lessons.

Mr. Antwi said he used more than 25,000 Ghana Cedis from his poultry farm for the journey and that he would go back to his poultry business. Mr. Taabazuing said the deportees, who are in the custody of the Immigration Service, would be screened to find out whether they are Ghanaians after which they would be counselled and re-integrated into their communities.