Ghana: Pakistani Preachers arrested at Assin Fosu

The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has instituted investigations into the activities and operations of some Pakistanis who were arrested at Assin Fosu in the Central Region on Thursday. There are conflicting reports about the number of people arrested so far, even though initial reports said they were seven. Subsequent reports have quoted figures like 13 and 17 as the number of people arrested, even though that has not been confirmed by the authorities.
The Pakistanis, who were going from community to community supposedly teaching people about the Islamic religion, were arrested after residents of Assin Fosu raised an alarm on suspicion that the foreigners could be potential terrorists.

Their arrest came on the heels of a recent security alert in which government advised the citizenry and residents in Ghana to report any suspicious moves to the police or any of the various security agencies for action following terrorist attacks in some West African nations.

The police arrested and subsequently handed the Pakistanis over to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for further investigation since they claimed to have come into the country at the instance of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu – a claim which has turned out to be false.

But on Friday, they were transferred to Accra from Cape Coast where they were being held by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS). Earlier in the morning, they were spotted at a mosque in Cape Coast and later at the Ghana Commercial Bank area near the Cape Coast Castle. Later in the day, they were seen at the Mosque after which they were whisked away to Accra.
However, the Regional Commander of the GIS, Mrs Maud Anima Quainoo, has allayed fears that the seven Pakistanis arrested are a threat to national security. According to Mrs Anima Quainoo, investigations had revealed that they were missionaries in the country to preach Islam, contrary to reports that they could be Al-Qaeda operatives.

She noted that the Pakistanis, whose names have been withheld by the GIS for security reasons, were arrested by the police Thursday morning and handed over to the GIS over suspicion that they were in the country illegally. The Regional Commander revealed that the suspects arrived in the country on February 22, 2016 at the invitation of the National Chief Imam.

She added that they had since been preaching at various villages and communities across the country until their arrest. “Although they were given 30 days’ stay upon arrival, they have submitted their passports to GIS headquarters in Accra for an extension of time,” she added. She, however, assured Ghanaians of effective security and emphasised the need for the public to report any suspicious activity of any foreigner to the nearest police station to ensure total peace in the country.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission (AMM) has denied any knowledge and dealings with the Pakistanis, as has the office of the National Chief Imam. The General Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, Ahmed Anderson, said: “The Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission is not aware of any group of Pakistanis having come into the country in the name of Ahmadiyya Mission to preach.”

 In an interview on Joy FM, even though he admitted that they had dealings with some Pakistani missionaries in the country, he noted with emphasis, “I have checked all our missions in this country since this news broke and we do not have any such group of people doing any such preaching anywhere. “It is not possible at all that there will be any missionaries sent from any part of the world without channeling them through the structured system that we have.”