Officials of the Immigration Service in Half Asini in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region have intercepted and prevented 13 persons who were leaving the country through unapproved route at Nzemtenu near Appollenu through Ghana’s Western border.

The 13 persons include twelve Burkinabe nationals, a Ghanaian were intercepted and prevented from leaving Ghana to Ivory Coast on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, by a team of Immigration officers on their usual patrol at some unapproved routes in the district.

The Western Regional Public Affairs Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service, Moses Manford Akakpo said, but for the swiftness of the patrol officers, coupled with the corporation of some concerned community members, the travellers could not have been intercepted at various points.

“Investigations has revealed that these suspects are unrelated and therefore had accidentally arrived at Nzentenu community almost at the same time; this explains their arrest at different locations within the community,” he said.

The 13 people have so far been tested for covid- 19 and have been quarantined awaiting results which will eventually inform the next line of action by the Municipal Security Council.

At a similar operation at Berlin, an unapproved entry point near Newtown Border Post also in the Jomoro municipality 11 Ivorian nationals were intercepted and have been escorted back to the Ivorian security to be returned to Ivory Coast.

Meanwhile, some 11 Ecowas nationals were refused entry at Appolenu unapproved entry points also in the Jomoro municipality on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, by the Ghana Immigration Service Half Assini Command.