Some 19 Burkinabe nationals have been arrested at the Savelugu checkpoint in the Northern Region for entering Ghana illegally.
The 19 Burkinabe nationals have subsequently been repatriated.
In a statement, the Ghana Immigration Service said, “the Burkinabe nationals were on an OA transport vehicle with registration number GT 8242-19 en route to Accra when they were arrested.”
It added that the Burkinabes, who had used unapproved routes tried to bribe officials at post to allow them to continue their journey, but the security personnel rejected the offer.
“Each of them offered GH₵100 to the officers to be allowed to continue their journey. This, the officers rejected,” it said.
“The officers asked that they are sent back. The driver of the vehicle was very cooperative with the officers. Due to the fact that some Ghanaian nationals were also on board, the vehicle could be inconvenienced, a call was placed to the manager of the OA Transport company, named Kingsley, who arranged for another vehicle from Tamale to convey the Burkinabes back to the Paga Border post to be repatriated,” excerpts of the statement read.
Ghana has closed its land, sea, and air borders and is not allowing the movement of public buses in and out of its borders until May 31, 2020.
The move is part of efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country, yet some foreigners continue to enter the country illegally.
President Akufo-Addo, in his eighth address to the nation, said anybody found helping foreigners to illegally enter the country would be dealt with.
Ever since the borders were closed, about 40 Burkinabe nationals have been arrested in the northern parts of the country using unapproved routes to enter the country.