The Bole Sector Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service has stated that in order for the service to provide adequate servicing, there is the need for the citizenry to partner personnel.
The Sector Commander and the second in Command, Chief Supt. Johnson Appiah Benefo and Stephen Adigbo respectively said that fighting crime in the District and the country as well remains a collective responsibility between the service and the citizenry, reiterating the need for spirited Ghanaians to provide information to officers in order to nib criminal activities in the bud.
Speaking on Yagbon Radio Morning show on June 17, 2022, on the mandate of the service and on the topic” stop harboring illegal tenants” the officers encouraged landlords and property owners not to rent out their properties to foreigners without knowing their details.
This in their estimation, is the best way crime can be fought adding that useful leads provided by the residents to the Service is in their own interest as it goes a long way to weed out the bad guys from society.
They asked landlords and property owners in Bole to demand proof of residence or legal stay of foreign nationals before renting out their properties to them.
The GIS warned that landlords and property owners who rented out their facilities to foreigners without proper immigration documents could face the full rigors of the law.
According to the them, it was illegal for landlords and property owners to indulge in such practices and that the law would soon catch up on such property owners.
They maintained that the use of such properties by persons who were illegally residing in the country made such owners liable of the offence of harbouring an illegal migrant, as stipulated in Section 52(1)(b) of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
“Section 52(1)(b) states that a person who knowingly harbours any person whom he knows is to be deported or has reasonable grounds to believe has acted in contravention of this Act commits an offence”, they added.
Background.
The Ministry of National Security recently through a statement urged Ghanaians to be more vigilant, warning that Ghana is a target for terrorists in the sub-region.
The West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism in its latest report also warned that Ghana was at high risk of terrorism following pockets of civil, political, and social unrest in parts of the West African sub Region.
“Our immediate neighbours, Burkina Faso, la Côte d’Ivoire and Togo have all experienced such attacks, and we have to recognise that our country remains a target as the security services work to keep us all safe,” the ministry said in a statement.
The National Security Ministry therefore launched a citizen awareness campaign dubbed ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign to encourage people to report suspicious acts of terrorism.
Citizens of Bole and its environs are therefore encouraged to call 0244580187 to report suspicious behaviours of strangers.
Source: yagbonradioonline
