Stop Giving Alms To Migrant Beggars On The Streets – Immigration Boss Warns Public
The Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Samuel Basintale Amadu, has advised the public to refrain from giving alms directly to migrant beggars, especially children, on the streets.
According to him, removing the financial incentive reduces the profitability of organized begging and discourages traffickers from exploiting vulnerable persons for begging.
The public has been encouraged to channel support for vulnerable individuals through the Department of Social Welfare, recognised children’s homes, credible NGOs and other authorised charitable organizations, rather than giving directly on the streets.
Mr Amadu gave the advice following a major intelligence-led anti-human trafficking operation conducted by the Ghana Immigration Service in the early hours of Saturday, August 29, 2026, across the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions.
The operation targeted criminal syndicates that use organised street begging as a cover to traffic and control vulnerable foreign nationals, particularly women and children.
It focused on hotspots including Abossey Okai, Sabon Zongo, Madina Zongo Junction, Madina, Ashaiman and Tema in Greater Accra, and Asawase, Alabar, Akwatia Line, Dagomba Line, Sabon Zongo, Airport Junction and Aboabo within the Kumasi Metropolis.
During the exercise, officers arrested over 1,000 West African nationals and several Ghanaians suspected of acting as local agents for the exploitative networks.
In total, 1,055 persons were apprehended, comprising 662 children, 145 men and 248 women, a development the Service says underscores serious concerns about child vulnerability and points to a growing pattern of child trafficking for forced begging.
Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/
