Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA
Accra, Aug. 2, GNA – The quest and love for greener pastures in Europe eluded 15 young Ghanaians who illegally boarded MV Aquitania, an Europe bond vessel at the Takoradi Port.
The arrest of the 15 stowaways was effected by a combined team of security officers drawn from the marine police, immigration service, BNI, National Security and the GPHA Security on July 18, this year.
ACP Seidu Iddi, the Director of the Marine Port who confirmed the story to the Ghana News Agency said the action of the stowaways was in contravention of shipping Act 645/2003 and would therefore be arranged before a court of law for trial.
« They would be put before court for the offense of conspiracy to commit crime to wit: stowaway contrary to section 23(1) of criminal procedure code and stowaway. »
ACP Iddi revealed that there was a syndicate working in the port who recruited the young people, aided and facilitated their travels abroad on a vessel that berth at the port.
« A case in point is the arrest of Douglas Ackon and Peter Armah both residents of Essaman who worked as dock labourers at the port, who usually collected huge sums of monies from interested individuals ».
ACP Iddi said the people supervised and aided such greener pasture seekers on board the ship under question and that the law would be applied in that direction.
He mentioned Kweku Agyire, Peter Armah, Douglas Ackon, Robert Annan, Obed Asamoah Mintah, Gabriel Agbemae and Matthew Koomson, as those arrested .
The rest are; Philip Mensah, Papa Amissah, Joseph Ackon, Isaac Quainoo, Francis Kwofie, John Afful, Charles Eshun and Ebenezer Prah and that they would be arraigned before court soon.
JP/GRB
