Over 600 undocumented migrants have been apprehended following a dawn raid on Tuesday, April 21, by the Ghana Immigration Service across parts of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.The raid comes after complaints by residents over the persistent influx of foreign beggars in the area, which has raised concerns about public nuisance and poor sanitation.The 90-minute operation, led by the Ashanti Regional Commander of GIS, DCOI Fred Amankwa, began at 3:30 a.m. and ended at 5:00 a.m., covering Asawase, Alabar, Akwatia Line, Dagomba Line, Sabon Zongo, and Aboabo.After the raid, 606 individuals were picked up, including 381 children, 72 females, and 153 males.Residents in Kumasi and surrounding communities have for years called for the repatriation of foreign beggars, particularly Nigerien nationals, whose numbers have surged on the streets.This is not the first time such an exercise has been carried out by the GIS. Many of them were repatriated about two years ago but have since returned.Authorities say the presence of the beggars has not only created a nuisance but has also contributed to worsening sanitary conditions in affected communities.All apprehended individuals have been transported to Prampram for further screening to establish their identities.This is not the first time such an exercise has been carried out. Around May last year, a similar exercise was carried out in Accra, where a total of 2,241 foreign nationals were removed from the principal streets of Accra by the GIS after an intelligence-led operation on Friday, 16th May.Nine hundred and nine (909) adults and 1,322 children were taken from the streets. Out of the total, 961 were males and 1,280 were females, according to the GIS in a statement.The operation was to repatriate undocumented foreign nationals humanely and disrupt criminal networks that facilitate their operations in places such as Sabon Zongo, Nima, Abossey Okai, and Obetsebi Roundabout, among others.The Service assured all stakeholders and the general public that "the detainees will be handled with the highest professionalism, with respect for their human rights."Meanwhile, the Minister for Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, urged all Ghanaians to remain calm and support this exercise."Let us cooperate with the security teams as they work to protect our streets and uphold national safety," he wrote in a Facebook post.In a related development, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) cleared traders selling on the streets and pavements in Accra on Tuesday, May 20. Before the exercise, vehicular movement in the area was at a standstill, as some traders sold their items in the middle of the streets, preventing pedestrians and vehicles from moving freely.

Meanwhile, transport operators in Ghana issued a stern warning to the government and the Ghana Police Service, demanding immediate enforcement of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), particularly those relating to trading on roads and pavements. They gave authorities until Monday, May 19, to act or face a nationwide protest. According to the operators, the growing encroachment of roads and pavements by traders posed serious safety risks and disrupted the free flow of traffic.Under Ghana’s Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), specific provisions prohibited trading activities that obstructed pedestrian and vehicular movement. These regulations were designed to ensure the safety and free flow of traffic on public roads and pavements.Under Regulation 117 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), it was an offence for any person to engage in trading activities in certain areas that posed a risk to public safety or obstructed the smooth flow of traffic.According to the law, a person shall not sell goods, display goods, offer goods for sale, or deliver goods as part of a sale on or alongside a road. A person shall also not sell or display goods on a pedestrian walkway. In addition, a person is prohibited from selling, displaying, offering for sale, or delivering goods within thirty metres of a railway level crossing.The law further prohibited such activities under a road traffic sign that indicated a blind corner or a rise. It was also an offence to engage in these trading activities within an intersection. Lastly, the law forbade trading on or alongside any road, including areas around a toll booth and a toll plaza.Any person who violated the above restrictions committed an offence. Upon summary conviction, the person was liable to pay a fine not exceeding fifty penalty units or serve a term of imprisonment not exceeding three months, or both.This regulation was designed to safeguard the safety of all road users and ensure that trading activities did not interfere with traffic or endanger lives.