The long-time rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana has taken a new turn following protests in Accra that have seen some Ghanaian citizens demand the expulsion of Nigerians from the country over alleged rising crimes.
The protest, which has gone viral on social media, showed demonstrators marching with placards bearing strong accusations. The messages included allegations of kidnapping, ritual practices, robbery, and widespread streetwalking, all attributed to Nigerians living in Ghana. One of the protestors was seen saying, “Nigerians must go because you can’t be in someone’s country and be doing anyhow.”
Amid rising concerns, the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the individual believed to be fueling the hostility between both countries had been apprehended. She made this known via her official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday night, July 29.
“Reiterating our call for Nigerians in Ghana to remain calm. Very wrong to generalise a whole country. The person escalating this crisis has been arrested and Ghana’s IGP has also made a broadcast condemning the hostile videos. Minister of State Foreign Affairs Amb. Bianca Ojukwu has already made high level diplomatic moves,” she wrote.
Dabiri-Erewa confirmed that the Inspector-General of Police in Ghana had publicly denounced the protest videos. She also disclosed that the Nigerian government, through the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, was already engaging in diplomatic discussions to de-escalate the situation.
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NiDCOM had earlier described the trending protest video as “disturbing,” especially as it portrayed Nigerians in a negative light and called for mass expulsion from Ghana.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, Senator Aniekan Bassey, expressed concern overN the development, describing the protest as “deeply disturbing and contrary to the spirit of African brotherhood.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Senator Bassey called on both nations to preserve their long-standing relationship built on mutual respect, unity, and regional cooperation.
“We must keep the flame of brotherhood alive. Nigeria and Ghana, as key members of ECOWAS, should be at the forefront of promoting peace, unity, and regional integration as enshrined in the ECOWAS charter,” he said.
Senator Bassey praised the swift intervention of Dabiri-Erewa and Ambassador Ojukwu and urged Nigerians living in Ghana to remain law-abiding, peaceful, and cooperative.
