American, Nigerian before court for immigration offence

An American, Oyinka Chika Ogbonna, and Magnus Ejidu, a Nigerian, on Friday appeared before an Accra Circuit Tribunal charged with failing to appear before an immigration officer.

Ogbonna faced another charge of assaulting an immigration officer at the Sogakope border post.

They both pleaded not guilty and were granted 10 million cedis bail with a surety each.

The tribunal chaired by Mr Ziblim Imoru ordered the accused persons to report to the Immigration Service every Monday.

They will reappear on March 8.

Sylvester Onyibor, a Nigerian who appeared in the dock with the two accused persons, pleaded guilty to failure to appear before an immigration officer. He was remanded to be repatriated.

Mr Asuah Kwame Takyi, Deputy Superintendent of Immigration who prosecuted, said last Tuesday, the accused persons were on their way from Sogakope to Accra when an immigration officer demanded to see their passports, but they said they did not have.

Mr Takyi said a search uncovered two Nigerian and one American passports which did not contain a visa.

According to the prosecution, the accused did not go through disembarkation formalities at any entry point.

The prosecutor said the accused persons were then given forms to fill so that they would be formally refused entry but Ogbonna refused to fill the form claiming that she would do so only after consulting the American Embassy in Ghana.

An immigration officer persuaded the accused person to release the passport but she refused.

A struggle ensued and in the process, Ogbonna pounced on the immigration officer and hit her head against his mouth.

The officer was wounded in the mouth and Ogbonna had a cut on her forehead.

Ogbonna wiped the blood and smeared it on the uniform of the immigration officer.