The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) says it has repatriated a total of 925 foreign nationals engaged in begging for alms on the streets of Accra and other major cities as of last Saturday.
A total of 2,241 foreign nationals were rounded up across various parts of Accra for engaging in street begging and are currently being held at designated holding centres while processes are ongoing for the removal of the rest.
The GIS gave the breakdown of those picked up as 2,073 Niger citizens, Nigeria, 138; Burkina Faso, 28; with one Guinean and one Malian.
A statement signed by the head of Public Affairs of the GIS, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Michael Amoako-Atta, and copied to The Ghanaian Times said “All affected immigrants had to undergo profiling and security screening in line with Standard Operating Procedures.”
He said the Immigrants were also segregated based on their gender and age, in line with international best practices.
In addition, he noted that the beggars were provided with meals, among other needs as they stay at the holding centre of the service.
To avoid congestion at the holding centre at the national headquarters, there has been a temporary hold on arrests.
The statement indicated that the Special Operation was being conducted humanely cognisant of the rights of all migrants.
The GIS, it emphasised, remained committed to its core values of Professionalism and Respect for Human Rights, and assures the general public of humane handling of affected immigrants.
“The GIS expresses utmost gratitude to all stakeholders, especially the general public and the media, for their support throughout this exercise.
As Ghana’s lead agency in migration management and border security, the GIS assures the general public of its commitment to operating fair and firm immigration systems and contributing to national security and development.
The Special Operation will resume and continue in due course, in the effort to rid the streets of beggars and clamp down on criminal networks.
The Service wishes to request continuous collaboration and support from all stakeholders for the success of this exercise,” the statement emphasised.
BY TIMES REPORTER
