CGI Samuel Amadu Basintale
Nine hundred and twenty-five (925) migrant beggars have so far been repatriated to their home countries by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), repatriation which took place in the morning of Saturday, May 17, 2025.
A GIS release authored by the Head of Public Affairs, ACI Michael Amoako-Atta, stated that “at the time of this release, 925 persons have been successfully repatriated, and processes are underway to remove the rest.”
The release, which contained an update on the recent exercise, states that 2,241 migrant beggars from various countries are being held at designated Holding Centres.
Nigeriens top the list of those being held at 2,073; Nigerians, 138; Burkinabes, 28; 1 Guinean and 1 Malian.
All affected immigrants had to undergo profiling and security screening in line with Standard Operating Procedures, the GIS stated, adding that “immigrants were also segregated based on their gender and age, in line with international best practices.”
Repatriation could not commence on Friday, May 16, 2025, because the above processes continued into the late hours of the day, the GIS release explained.
Meals, among other needs of persons in detention, have been provided for by the Service, and the GIS Clinic is on standby to provide medical services where necessary, the release went on.
To avoid congestion at the Holding Centre at the National Headquarters, there has been a temporary hold on arrests, according to the GIS.
GIS Management has given the assurance that “the Special Operation is being conducted humanely in cognisance of the rights of all migrants.
“The GIS remains committed to its core values of Professionalism and Respect for Human Rights, and assures the general public of humane handling of affected immigrants.”
While expressing gratitude to stakeholders in the exercise, the GIS as Ghana’s lead agency in migration management and border security, stressed that, “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.