Despite assertions by President Mahama and Foreign Affairs Minister Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Lawyers for eleven West African citizens contesting their detention in Ghana have informed an Accra High Court that they are still being held in Ghana and have not been sent to their countries of origin.
Lead Counsel Oliver Barker Vormawor has submitted two ex parte applications: a habeas corpus motion asking for an order compelling the government to produce the US deportees in court and an injunction prohibiting the Ghanaian government from repatriating them. Nigeria, Liberia, Togo, Gambia, Niger, and Mali comprise the eleven West African nationals.
During a virtual court session on Thursday, September 18, Barker Vormawor challenged the legality of detaining foreign nationals without a court order.
He cited public statements by President Mahama and the Foreign Affairs Minister, both of whom claimed the deportees had already been repatriated. However, Vormawor said the individuals were still being held at military bases locally.
According to him, the injunction request was crucial to stop their deportation, as they could face torture or persecution in their home countries. Standing in for the substantive judge, Justice Priscilla Dikro Ofori noted her disagreement with the ex parte nature of the applications.
According to lawyer Barker Vormawor, the motion was intended to compel security officials to present his clients, who had been held for a lengthy period without access. Justice Ofori adjourned the hearing, setting September 23 as the date to address the two applications from the deportees’ counsel.
