Out of the 2,241 individuals the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) removed from several Accra streets last Friday (May 16), 925 have been repatriated. There were 106 Nigerians and 819 Nigeriens among those repatriated last Saturday.
Additionally, 1,316 additional individuals—32 Nigerians, 28 Burkinabes, a Malian, a Guinean, and 1,254 Nigeriens—are anticipated to return home. In a statement released last Tuesday, the GIS stated that procedures were in place to remove the remaining individuals—the majority of whom are beggars—from the streets.
In order to purge the streets of beggars and crack down on criminal networks, the GIS said, “The Special Operation will resume and continue in due course”.
According to the statement, all impacted immigrants were required to go through security screening and profiling in accordance with SOPs. According to the immigration service, the screening procedures went on until the late hours of the day, which prevented the repatriation from starting last Friday.
The Immigration Service’s management reaffirmed that it was carrying out its special operation to remove foreign nationals who were begging on the streets of Accra and other major cities in a humane manner while taking into account the rights of all migrants.
The GIS reassured the public of its dedication to running a strict immigration system and thanked all parties involved, particularly the media and the general public, for their support in the ongoing exercise. To guarantee the exercise’s success, it urged ongoing cooperation and support from all parties involved.