Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, has met with Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Ablakwa, to address recent protests targeting Nigerians living in Ghana. The meeting, held in Accra, focused on concerns raised by demonstrations in which some Ghanaian citizens accused Nigerians of contributing to rising crime levels. Ojukwu said the Ghanaian government assured her that the lives, properties, and businesses of Nigerians in the country remain safe, with no plans for mass deportations.
Ojukwu’s diplomatic visit came a day after her late-night arrival in Accra, where she was received by Ghana’s Inspector-General of Police. She emphasized that the Federal Government of Nigeria is pursuing all avenues for a peaceful resolution to tensions, which escalated after viral videos showed protesters calling for the expulsion of Nigerians. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has urged calm, rejecting the blanket criminalisation of Nigerians and warning against inflammatory remarks that could trigger reprisals.
NiDCOM Chairperson, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, stressed that Nigerians are generally law-abiding, calling for any offenders to be dealt with individually rather than collectively. She assured the Nigerian community that authorities are actively engaging their Ghanaian counterparts to prevent further tensions. Similarly, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora, Senator Aniekan Bassey, condemned the protests as contrary to African unity, urging sustained diplomatic engagement and stronger regional cooperation.