Lawyer and human rights activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has condemned the Ghanaian government’s handling of deportees from the United States, describ
Lawyer and human rights activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has condemned the Ghanaian government’s handling of deportees from the United States, describing the process as “inhumane” and a violation of both Ghanaian and international law.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Barker-Vormawor revealed that over 20 West African nationals, including a Sierra Leonean woman, were forcibly removed from a hotel in Accra on Tuesday, November 11, by officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
The deportees, who reportedly resisted compliance with deportation directives, were part of a group brought into Ghana under an agreement between the governments of Ghana and the United States. The arrangement allows Ghana to receive individuals the US cannot deport to their home countries due to fears of persecution or torture.
However, Barker-Vormawor argued that the deportation process violated due process under Ghanaian law.
“Under Ghanaian law, a person cannot be deported without a court order, nor without an executive instrument from the minister. None of that was in place when I arrived,” he said.
He recounted that a Sierra Leonean woman, believed to be a registered nurse who had lived in the US for 35 years, was forcibly removed from her hotel room at Vicsem Hotel in Ogbojo, Accra. She reportedly pleaded to remain in Ghana, as she had no family in Sierra Leone, but her request was denied, and she suffered an asthma attack during the confrontation.
Barker-Vormawor also accused immigration officials of detaining journalists covering the incident.
“A journalist from RFI who tried to record the event was arrested, his camera seized, and he was forced to delete the footage,” he alleged.
The activist disclosed that his team has filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the legality of Ghana’s agreement with the US to receive deportees. He argued that the arrangement contradicts both Ghana’s Constitution and international human rights conventions.
“Our position is that the agreement violates Ghana’s Constitution and international law. Nearly 60 people have so far been received under this arrangement,” Barker-Vormawor said.
He further claimed that some Nigerian deportees were allegedly taken to the Togo border and abandoned after arriving in Ghana.
The Ghana Immigration Service has yet to comment publicly on these allegations, but the incident has sparked renewed debate about Ghana’s cooperation with the US on deportation matters and the treatment of vulnerable migrants.