Officials say deportees were well treated

Aflao, March 1, GNA - The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the National Disaster and Management Organization (NADMO) at Aflao on Thursday said it was not true that 20 Ghanaians who were deported from Nigeria this week were left un-catered for and were roaming the streets of Aflao.

Mr Emmanuel Amoako Yirenkyi, Assistant Director of GIS in charge of Aflao, told the GNA in an interview that his outfit handed over the group to officials of NADMO hours after their arrival and registration. Mr Moise Kwame Agbodzalu, the Ketu District NADMO Coordinator, said the group was transported to Accra barely 24 hours after their arrival. He said during their short stay the deportees, mainly from the Central, Eastern and Western regions, were housed at the Aflao Urban Council Hall and provided with regular meals and did not roam the streets of the border town.

The leader of the group, Mr. Samuel Arthur, 52, told the GNA that they were picked at work places at various parts of the Ondo State by Nigeria security and detained for a week before their deportation without the opportunity to pick their properties and families. He expressed gratitude to officials of Ghana Embassy in Benin and police at Coutonu for their support after they were dumped at Seme, Benin, with no means of transport or food.

This is the second batch of Ghanaian deportees from Nigeria in a week after the arrival of five others last Friday following the reported threat by the Nigerian authorities to flush out illegal aliens as part of preparations for their presidential elections in April.