Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, has urged security officers stationed at the Elubo border to remain extra vigilant amid the ongoing influx of Ivorians fleeing election-related violence ahead of Côte d’Ivoire’s general election on October 25, 2025.
Over 1,500 Ivorians have reportedly crossed into Ghana seeking refuge from the unrest, prompting heightened border surveillance.
During a working visit to the Ghana–Ivory Coast border at Elubo, Mr. Nelson cautioned security personnel to monitor all entries carefully to prevent criminal elements from infiltrating the country.
“The situation is still very fluid. And so let’s keep our eyes on the inflows so that we can check the security side of things, so we don’t have any surprises any day in the future,” he said.
“The elections are coming on in October, as you know, and so as we approach the day, I believe that a lot more of them will come. So put yourself in readiness to receive them, and then, of course, with your eyes wide open, so we don’t get any criminals slipping through the system to pose a challenge to us as far as our security is concerned,” Mr. Nelson added.
Deputy Commissioner of Immigration at the Elubo Command, DCI Joshua Krakue, also expressed concern about the difficulty in distinguishing between regular travellers and those seeking asylum.
“Rationally, people are taking precautions by leaving the country to find safe havens and then maybe after the elections, if everything is fine, they go back. But when they are coming through the border, they don’t present themselves as people who are coming to seek asylum,” he explained.
“They are coming as normal travellers. But then they end up maybe getting to the refugee camp to seek asylum. So, we have also noticed that the numbers are going up. But there isn’t a situation where people are carrying their bags to cross the border to go there,” DCI Krakue added.