A scene after the swoop
Personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) last Friday rounded up over two thousand migrant beggars from various parts of Accra.
The figure of the arrested persons, according to GIS sources is 2,241, whose presence at strategic locations including some ceremonial streets has caused a continuous nuisance to motorists and pedestrians alike.
The beggars are migrants from Niger Republic who, a few years ago, were deported with the support of their home country in a major operation, but they returned not long after.
The statistics of those arrested are 384 adult males, 525 adult females, 577 male children, and 755 female children.
During a press briefing on Friday, May 16, the Head of Public Relations, GIS, Michael Amoako-Atta, announced that after a profiling of the suspects they would be deported to their individual countries via buses which, he added, are ready.
The Friday dawn operation focused on the general area of the Kotoka International Airport, Madina, Kaneshie, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, and Abossey Okai.
“As we speak, we have arrested 2,241 foreign nationals, made up of 384 male adults, 577 male children, 525 female adults, and 755 female children. All these persons are currently undergoing profiling,” he stated.
The exercise, GIS sources explained, are part of national security measures to protect the country from elements whose backgrounds are unknown.
Beggars from Niger Republic have in the past few years flocked Ghana, where they easily find accommodation in the Zongo communities.
From such locations, they go out daily to beg in the streets. They can be found not only in Accra but Kumasi and other urban settings.
Nigeria is a no-go area for them because the authorities in the various states have clamped down on them in the face of militant attacks from neighbouring Niger.
There are agents who bring the beggars into the country. In Accra, Sabon Zongo is a haven for the beggars where they sleep in front of shops and some shelters provided by some landlords for fees. At dawn, they fan out in town to engage in street begging, their preferred locations being traffic intersections.