GIS intensifies crackdown on exploitative migrant street begging networks in Ashanti Region

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), through its Ashanti Regional Command, has conducted an intelligence-led operation in the early hours of Tuesday, April 21, 2026, to rescue undocumented migrants from exploitative street begging networks in Kumasi.

The operation, which commenced at dawn yesterday, targeted identified hotspots including Asawase, Alabar, Akwatia Line, Dagomba Line, Sabon Zongo, and Aboabo.

A total of 606 individuals were rounded up, comprising 381 children, 72 females, and 153 males. Many of those rescued are believed to be victims of human trafficking and forced begging.

This exercise forms part of a nationwide GIS campaign to address the growing menace of organised street begging networks across the country.

In a related operation on April 15, 2026 in parts of the Greater Accra Region–including Abossey Okai, Zongo Junction, Nima, Madina, and Kaneshie–the Service facilitated the safe repatriation of 356 West African nationals to their home countries, namely Niger, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.

In line with the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol, which guarantees visa-free travel residence, and establishment rights for citizens of Member States, GIS emphasises that these operations are targeted at criminal exploitation and irregularities, not legitimate regional mobility.

The Service, in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, assisted 89 Nigerian nationals to regularise their documentation and facilitated their handover to relevant anti-human trafficking authorities in Nigeria

The GIS has also engaged various African diplomatic missions in Accra to ensure coordinated and humane interventions, particularly for the protection of vulnerable children and destitute persons.

The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Samuel Basintale Amadu, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment, stating: “The Ghana Immigration Service remains resolute in safeguarding Ghana’s borders and enforcing immigration laws, while upholding our obligations under the ECOWAS Protocol. We will continue to strike a balance between regional integration and decisive action against trafficking and exploitation.”

The public has been reminded that the Beggars and Destitute Act, 1969 (NLCD 392), prohibits street begging by both citizens and non-citizens. Offenders are liable to fines, imprisonment of up to three months, or both.

Members of the public have been encouraged to report suspicious activities involving foreign nationals to the nearest GIS office.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

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