Sixteen young Nigerians have been deported from Ghana for allegedly committing cyber crimes in the West African nation, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) disclosed on Friday.

Addressing a news conference in Lagos, Chukwu Emeka, the NIS controller for Seme command, said some of the deportees claimed that they were deceived into criminal activities while others travelled in search of greener pastures.

“Ghana’s Financial and Intelligence Agency accused them of cyber crime but from our preliminary investigation, we discovered that some of them were lured into these criminal activities due to the get-rich syndrome  our youths are developing.

“Some of them are victims in the sense that they were deceived that they can make money if they leave Nigeria. Unfortunately, they don’t get the actual thing they bargained for in Ghana.

“Further investigation also showed that most of them left the country through illegal routes or through the sea to other West African countries.

“We also discovered that most of them travelled without genuine travel documents, so when they got to Ghana they became prey to the authorities.

“The Comptroller General of  NIS, Mr Idris Jere, has always advised Nigerians to get genuine travellers’ documents before leaving the country.

“Yes, we are part of the ECOWAS treaty of free movement and goods within the sub-region, the condition is that you must enter those countries through a legitimate route and with the right travel documents.

“It is also important to have definite means of livelihood, if not; by the time you get there, they will see you as a public charge and they will return you to your country,” he said.

He said that it was painful to see young Nigerians getting involved in some unholy activities when they were supposed to be building their talents for their future.

Mr Emeka urged Nigerians to always travel with valid documents, adding that they should live and do their businesses according to the law of the  land they had travelled to.

He said that the Government of Ghana had contacted the Seme Command of NIS  that they would be repatriating more Nigerians soon.

The controller promised to return those already repatriated to their families after NIS must have concluded its investigation.

One of the deportees, Richard Paska, a 24-year-old graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, said that he was lured to Ghana by the promise of a good job.

“My father had to look for money to let me go in February 2021 so that I could start a job. The job was a networking business but when I arrived in Ghana, the story changed.

“I was managing myself with some Nigerians when some of the personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service arrested us and brought us back to Nigeria.

“I had intended to come back but I did not have the transport fare, I really regret going to Ghana,” he said.

The 16 deportees are men with ages ranging from 19 years to 24 years. 

(NAN)