Some 14 persons who have allegedly entered Ghana illegally to apply for the voter’s identification card have been apprehended in Kpetoe in the Agotime-Ziope District of the Volta Region.

A team led by the Volta Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Makafui Woanyah, intercepted a Hyundai van with registration number GR 3234-M conveying the people. 

The driver of the vehicle, Gati Xorlali, initially stated they were traveling to a funeral, but failed to mention the venue. 

The occupants which comprise 8 females and 6 males, later said they had traveled from Honugo, near Ziope to acquire Voter ID Cards in the ongoing voter registration exercise in Kpetoe. 

There was a scuffle between faithful of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP, as members of the opposition attempted to prevent Mr Woanyah and his team from effecting a citizen’s arrest at Awusagbakofe in Kpetoe, where the van was intercepted. 

It took the timely intervention of the Police to move the van to the Kpetoe District Police Headquarters where the occupants are being held in custody. 

Contrary to claims by the Agotime-Ziope Member of Parliament (MP), Charles Agbeve, that the occupants are Ghanaians, the NPP Communications Officer for the Constituency, Philip Lord Naza, indicated only one of the occupants who possessed an old Ghanaian passport is a Ghanaian but lives in Togo. 

“The rest 13 are not Ghanaians, I can’t recognize any of them, neither do they live in the territories of Ghana,” he told JoyNews.

The occupants aged between 65 and 75, in addition to the driver are in police custody assisting in investigations, before being handed over to the Immigration Service for the appropriate legal actions. 

A health official was at the Police Station to take their details and screen them for the novel coronavirus.