The Mahama government has to begin looking into a female immigration officer at Kotoka International Airport who is being accused of holding travelers and requiring them to pay bribes before allowing them to depart. It took me a little longer to write this article since I wasn’t certain of the veracity of those claims. However, I came to accept the accusations were true after watching at least four videos that have gone viral regarding the same female immigration officer stealing money from passengers.
It is never a coincidence when many videos by different users on social media accuse the same woman of illegally and forcefully demanding bribes from the travelers. Some of the recordings, which were secretly shot without the woman’s knowledge, show her taking money from passengers who are to board after completing the immigration process. Two bloggers claim that the female officer is so evil that she has the power to make someone miss the flight if they don’t comply with her demands.
Arriving home or traveling overseas can be thrilling experiences that introduce you to new sights and cultures. However, navigating the airport’s complicated immigration procedures can be challenging, particularly to the traveler. When going through international security checkpoints, travelers are aware of their legal rights and are aware of the subtleties of immigration at the airport. Therefore, a traveler has the right to ask that female immigration officer the reason she is requesting money from him.
The legislation requires an immigration officer to detain and arrest a traveler whose documents are not in order. It is a felony that carries the possibility of punishment, including deportation, in many nations. However, it is ludicrous that a traveler with valid documents be delayed at Kotoka International Airport and miss his or her flight for not paying a bribe. According to the videos I watched, the female officer has been treating passengers in this manner to the point where many of them miss their flights.
Upon arriving at Kotoka International Airport, I located one of my two suitcases in the baggage claim area. About four of us were traveling from Belgium, and although our luggage was inspected and placed on the conveyor belt, we were unable to locate the other items when we arrived in Ghana. When I inquired, I was informed that only one piece of luggage had arrived from Belgium and that the other would arrive later. Since I observed that the conveyor belt had removed both bags, I claimed it couldn’t be possible.
I was so confused that I don’t know what to do. While I was making my way to the exit, I saw a young man carrying my luggage entering the arrival hall. Unaware that he was carrying it outside, one of the security officers in charge of the luggage tag inspection insisted that he present his ticket to verify that it matched the baggage tag. When he couldn’t provide the tag, he was compelled to return the luggage to the hallway after realizing he had stolen it when I found my stolen baggage.
My bitter experience about the theft of my luggage by the young man indicates that travelers’ baggage theft has been occurring at Kotoka Airport. Such atrocities occurring at the airport reflect poorly on our beloved country, Ghana. How many passengers have been the targets of theft at Kotoka Airport? Travelers losing their baggage and the demand for bribes are not part of the procedures that immigration authorities follow to protect national security and guarantee the safety of travelers.
I’m pleading with Mahama’s new government to remove the criminals posing as KIA employees and also act swiftly to look into these bribery scandals to protect travelers and, more importantly, sack any immigration officer who demands bribes from visitors entering or leaving the nation.
