The Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Michael Abikoye, has protested the inhuman treatment of Nigerians by the Ghana Immigration Service with the deportation of 723 Nigerians between 2018 and 2019.
The ministry said that the Federal Government, through its High Commissioner to Ghana, Michael Abikoye, had registered its displeasure over the disheartening incidents.
It stated that the High Commissioner was currently engaging in diplomatic dialogue with the Ghanaian authorities.
Mr Abikoye said this at a meeting between him and the Comptroller-General of GIS, Kwame Takyi, in Ghana, with report obtained by NAN.
The High Commissioner said 723 Nigerians were deported on alleged illegal stay, cybercrime and prostitution between the January 2018 and January 2019.
He, however, said that it was improper to deport Nigerians for alleged illegal stay in Ghana.
Abikoye had observed that there were several Ghanaians living in Nigeria but the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had never deported any of them because of brotherliness between the two countries.
He reminded Ghana of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol on free movement of persons to migrate to the various member nations without necessary valid documents.
He drew the attention of Takyi on several cases of molestation, harassment and torture of Nigerians by the GIS officials, especially those awaiting deportation at its facility.
The High Commissioner told the GIS boss that the inhuman act was against the UN Convention against torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
He, therefore, implored Takyi to prevail on his officials to treat Nigerians and other ECOWAS nationals with human face and not as common criminals.
However, the GIS boss (Takyi) said the service was being compelled to carry out the deportation because of the conduct of some Nigerians in Ghana.
According to him, besides engaging in cybercrime and prostitution, some Nigerians had become “law” themselves.
He said they engaged in blockage of roads in major Ghanaian streets where they drank, fought and stabbed each other, stressing that their “unruly” behaviour contravened the local laws in Ghana. Premium Times reports.