ROW OVER 10yr OLD STOWAWAY

With no passport, no ticket, the kid eluded immigration and Airport security, beat American Immigration, customs and police and entered New York in school uniform By Kofi Coomson

SIX WEEKS AGO, a 10 year old pupil of St. Martin de Porres International School in Dansoman, a large city within the city of Accra, sensationally slipped past Ghanaian Immigration at Accra?s airport including Customs Preventive officers, dummied Ghana Airways ticket checking staff and boarded a New York bound Flight.

With no passport, he slipped past rows of Immigration officers at John F Kennedy Airport, past their airport Security, eluded the dreaded eagle eyed customs police and into New York city still in his school uniform with only ?6,000 in his pocket.

The incredible incident has set off a small ding dong battle between the two Governments, US and Ghana, with both the Foreign Minister Mr. Victor Gbeho and the Office of National Security sucked into the matter because of the security implications.

While the Ghanaian authorities have requested the immediate deportation of the mystery adventurer, US authorities have blocked the Ghana Government?s desire for a snap return to Accra.

Chronicle investigations established within the week that the Americans are insisting that the boy?s case (Master Julian Yeboah?s) was so extraordinary that he should be held in the US for investigations into how he managed to beat the tough US immigration security network.

Chronicle learnt yesterday that the parents of the boy are being sought to find out how Julian pulled off such a surprising move, but independent Chronicle investigations showed that the immigration services and Ghana police suspect that, the incident could have been pulled off with the cooperation and collusion of Ghana Airways staff and the father of the boy, a small time business man living in the Dansoman ?Exhibition? area, not too far from the School.

Pieces of information put together trace a story that tells the events leading to Julian Yeboah?s flight from home.

The kid reportedly failed to return home after school sometime early in March. Described as a troubled boy by sources, Julian?s absence from home caused concern for his father, now under investigations on suspicion of being a collaborator.

Credible but unofficial accounts point out that Master Yeboah?s father is a single parent whose wife left Julian and one other younger son with him and fled to Germany where they both used to live.

There are uncorroborated reports that Julian has run away from home once and had alleged that he is often beaten by his father. Food is also a luxury in the house and that he often goes hungry.

Dealing with what is turning out to be something similar to the highly publicised Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez affair, has attracted the attention of the American judiciary.

A hearing into the case has already taken place and the judge had expressed uncertainty, and has strangely expressed fear about risks to the life of Julian if he is forcibly returned to Ghana.

Ghana Airways sources are themselves at a loss to how this happened and have made their own enquiries.

By press time, information was trickling in that Julian had been through another court session and had been sent to a home in Atlanta, Georgia, from New York.

He was being detained in a juvenile holding centre and had started going to school already while his case in reviewed.

But the calls and correspondence between the two countries continue over ?Elian? Yeboah with no end in sight to the diplomatic debacle.

According to legal opinion sought by The Chronicle, Julian could be given citizenship or resident permit if he indicates forcefully and persuasively he does not want to return.

(WEDNESDAY: News just coming in indicates that Julian has attempted to escape the facility he has been held in with several others. Read full story on Wednesday.