The Ivorians
SIXTY THREE foreigners have been arrested along the Ghana-Ivory Coast frontier on their return after they had sneaked into the country to acquire the voter identification card fraudulently.
The suspects travelled through the bush for two days to Kabronu, a town near Sampa, where they were issued with the voter identity cards but when the vehicle on which they were travelling on their return trip broke down and attracted the attention of curious Ghanaian villagers at Doboo, their cover was blown.
The villagers alerted officials of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to the Kia Rhino vehicle on which the all-Ivorian nationals were returning with their newly acquired voter IDs.
All the suspects are in the custody of the immigration officials and the cards seized for investigations.
Telltale Names
The telltale names on the cards added to the suspicion, as their order was not usual in the Akan context. Besides, females were in possession of cards that had male names on them.
Kwabena Abena, Kwabena Kwadwo, Ama Abena, Kwaku Kwabena and others were some of the unusual names which triggered questions as to why the EC officials were not alerted to the emerging unusualness.
Confession
The suspects reportedly confessed during interrogation that they were indeed not Ghanaians but only availed themselves of the opportunity to register in the ongoing exercise.
They added that a certain Yaw, a native of Kabronu, in Ghana, visited Tampi in Cote d’Ivoire, where they live, and advised them to register for the voter cards.
Yaw, they added, told them that failure to register would deny them the opportunity of visiting their relatives in Ghana in future.
Preliminary Findings
Preliminary investigation indicates that 23 of the illegal registrants are not Ghanaians while 32 are Ghanaians living in Ivory Coast.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE in a telephone interview, the Bono Regional Second in Command of the GIS, Chief Superintendent Henry Akar, explained that contrary to earlier reports which put the figure of the arrested persons at 66 the real figure is 63.
A 65-year-old Yaa Kuma said she and others crossed into Ghana to acquire the voter card on the last day of the exercise but were arrested on their return trip on the same day.
While some could speak Twi, others could only speak French.
Guarantor System
According to them, though they did not have the Ghana Card, they registered through the guarantor process but admitted they did not know their guarantors.
It also came up during interrogation that others too were registered without being asked for a guarantor.
Abronye Call
The Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, aka Abronye DC, has asked the police in the region to immediately arrest the General Secretary of opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Asiedu Nketia, for importing the Ivorians into the Banda Constituency to register and acquire the new voter cards.
He alleged in a statement that the arrested persons were part of some 2,000 Ivorians who attempted to register earlier at Banda but were prevented by the military in a video that went viral on social media.
Abronye DC accused Asiedu Nketia of personally hiring the Kia Rhino truck for the illegality, adding that the Ivorians were housed at Seikwa.
Regional EC boss Frank Nunu also said he was yet to receive detailed reports from the district when DAILY GUIDE contacted him on Saturday morning.
EC Talks Tough
In a reaction, the EC has acknowledged that the said registration took place at Banda Kabronu in the Bono Region.
“As a commission determined to compile a register, which reflects eligible Ghanaians only, we take this matter very seriously. The commission has launched a full-scale investigation into the matter, and will not shield any staff (permanent or temporary) found to have been involved in the alleged illegal registration of foreign nationals. The commission will use all legal means available to it to ensure that the names of all ineligible persons are removed from Ghana’s Voter Register,” the EC said in a statement.
The commission has called on the security agencies to collaborate with it in this regard, including well-meaning Ghanaians.
By I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr & Daniel Dayee