Police, GIS arrest Burkinabe migrants in Upper West

Six Burkina Faso nationals who entered Ghana through unapproved routes have been arrested by the Upper West Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) at the Nadowli Police checkpoint.

The migrants, who comprised four men and two women and aged from 2 to 55, were arrested with support from the Ghana Police Service on Thursday, May 7, 2020.

Mr Ibn Yussif Duranah Abdul-Mumin Seidu, the Upper West Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GIS made this known to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa on Thursday.

"Upon a tip-off, the patrol team chased the minibus and intercepted it with the ECOWAS nationals at a police checkpoint", he said.

According to Mr Seidu, the irregular migrants attempted using alternative routes in order to swerve the GIS inland checkpoint at Babile in the Lawra Municipality.

"They hired a minibus with registration number BA 2761-14 with the intent of using alternative routes to Wa in order to swerve the immigration Officials on duty at the Babile inland checkpoint", he said.

He said the arrested Burkinabe migrants had been screened by the health personnel, sent to the Hamile Sector Command of the GIS and handed over to the Burkina Faso authorities for the necessary action to be taken.

The GIS had arrested several Burkina Faso nationals in the region for violating President Akuffo-Addo's order on the closure of the national borders in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Mr Seidu said the GIS would not relent on its efforts to secure the borders and to enforce the president's order to the letter.

He called for support from the public, especially the border communities, to police the borders.

He warned that any person or group of persons found aiding any foreigner to enter the country illegally would be made to face the full rigours of the law.