The Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Mr Samuel George, has warned that security agencies will not spare any individual found assisting foreign nationals to acquire Ghanaian passports and Ghana Cards.
He described the practice as a criminal offence and said the law would deal decisively with any Ghanaian involved, to serve as a deterrent.
Mr George’s comments follow a series of intelligence-led operations by security agencies targeting organised cybercrime networks across parts of the country. The latest operation led to the arrest of 141 suspects in Lashibi and Tabora on Saturday, December 27.
The suspects were arrested in a coordinated early-morning operation aimed at dismantling cybercrime syndicates involved in Mobile Money (MoMo) fraud and other cyber-enabled financial crimes in parts of Accra.
The operation involved the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), the Ghana Police Service, National Security and the Ghana Immigration Service, and was conducted across key locations in Tabora and Lashibi.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One Newsroom on Saturday, December 27, the Minister cautioned Ghanaians against facilitating the illegal acquisition of Ghanaian identity documents by foreign nationals.
“I want to send a clear message of caution to Ghanaians who help other nationals to acquire Ghanaian nationality through passport and Ghana Card, that is a criminal offence. We’re building a solid case on that. If you are a Ghanaian, please desist from doing that, please, we beg you. For pleading with you, do the right thing,” he said.
Mr George urged those engaged in the practice to desist, warning that pleas would not be entertained once the law takes its course.
“If you fail to do the right and we come for you, no amount of pleas will stop us. In today’s [December 27] raid, the landlord is from Prampram. The last raid was done in Dawhenya, my constituency.
“Irrespective of who you are and where you come from, if you fall foul of the law, we will ensure that the law deals decisively with you to serve as a deterrent,” he added.
Security agencies say investigations into the arrested suspects are ongoing, while efforts continue to clamp down on cybercrime and related offences nationwide.
Accra: 141 suspected cybercriminals arrested in Tabora and Lashibi