Henry Quartey warns GIS that they risk suspension if found aiding visitors at KIA

Interior Minister Henry Quartey has issued a stern warning to immigration officials stationed at Kotoka International Airport (KIA), cautioning that any staff found aiding visitors will face immediate suspension from duty.

The statement was delivered during Quartey’s recent visit to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) headquarters in Accra.

In his address, he stressed the severity of such misconduct, branding it as unprofessional, and urged officers to refrain from such actions.

“Men and women wear uniforms only to go and see off their friends at the Airport. They pull their bags right from the car, and walk through checking, walk them through immigration and even security points all the way.

“When you disembark you see them lined up waiting for their friends, they take their bags. I have told the CG to send a message to them that it has to stop with immediate effect, and I mean immediate effect.”

“We will send plain clothes to go there, if an immigration officer is found around the arrival hall, or departure hall, engaging passengers please consider that you will be at home for a long time and that will be coming from me, not the CG. So, tell them,” he emphasized.

Additionally, Mr. Quartey urged GIS officers to uphold professionalism, particularly with the approaching 2024 general elections.

He underscored the GIS’s pivotal role in ensuring impartial, free, and fair elections.

“We are seriously relying on you and please don’t misquote me; we are relying on you to perform your professional duty as GIS before, during and after the elections.

“We must ensure free, fair and transparent elections. That is why I am saying if you want to do politics let us know so we can make an application for you to join a political party. So please all of you mind your uniform and work for Ghana our motherland,” the Interior Minister stated.

Moreover, he reiterated the importance of maintaining stringent border control to thwart the illegal entry of undocumented individuals.