Ghana’s former Minister of Finance has been detained by ICE
Jonelle Ocloo, a United States immigration lawyer, has said that the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the arrest of former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, by US security authorities means that the current issue he is facing is not only about the status of his visa.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on January 12, 2026, Jonelle Ocloo pointed out that if Ofori-Atta’s arrest had nothing to do with his visa, he would have been arrested only by officials of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
She said that the fact that the FBI was involved means that Ofori-Atta’s arrest and detention had to do with the extradition request presented to US authorities by the government of Ghana.
“To me, it’s an indication that this isn’t simply about a visa overstay. If it was just a visa overstay — this visa revocation, overstay, and I have dealt with a number of cases with, say, international students, maybe whose student visa was revoked, that sort of thing.
“But no, I feel that the fact that the FBI was involved is an indication of what was said previously, that this had to do with the extradition request. That is why the FBI is involved,” she said.
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Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, had stated that the arrest and detention of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta involved both the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“I suspect it’s a combination of these two factors. ICE normally handles immigration issues, but when the FBI gets involved, then there must be some criminality or an Interpol request triggering a red alert.
“So, the combination of the two convinces me that the Ghanaian government requested this man to be brought in to help us, if you like, unravel some issues that have been brought against him as a former minister,” Smith said.
Watch a video of her remarks below:
Ken Ofori-Atta in ICE custody: The FBI’s involvement in the arrest is tied to an extradition request, not a mere visa issue — Jonelle Ocloo, U.S. immigration lawyer.#PMExpress pic.twitter.com/ZYtzacjmU0
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) January 12, 2026
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