The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has urged Ghanaians to collaborate with them to end illegal border crossing.

The statement said the GIS would deal ruthlessly with any individual or group of people apprehended engaging in or abetting illegal migration into and out of the country.

“Our position and determination on prohibited migration have not and will not change beyond the closure of our territorial borders. The status quo on irregular, undocumented and prohibited migration into Ghana remains in force.

“We, therefore, urge everyone to collaborate with the Ghana Immigration Service and all other agencies to end cross border crimes”, the statement said.

The statement said the GIS officials at the Hamile Sector Command upon intelligence gathered arrested 15 illegal migrants, comprising 12 Burkinabes and three Nigerian nationals aged between two and 53 years.

It said the illegal migrants were on board a passenger bus with registration number GN-2357-10 en route to Techiman and Kumasi purportedly for farming and business purposes contrary to the government directive on the closure of the national borders.

Preliminary investigations by the GIS revealed that the migrants sneaked into Ghana through unapproved routes. They were subsequently taken through a health screening before being handed back to their respective border authorities.

“The ECOWAS nationals were screened by the Port Health Personnel before being handed over to the Burkina Faso authorities on the other side of the border at about 0720 hrs on 20th August 2020”, the statement said.

The action taken by the GIS is in line with President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo's directive that all territorial borders of the country be closed as part of measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.