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'No cause for alarm' - Ghana and Nigeria foreign ministers meet over protest against Nigerians

'No cause for alarm' - Ghana and Nigeria foreign ministers meet over protest against Nigerians

BBC News4 days ago
Di foreign ministers of Ghana and Nigeria bin call for calm afta dem meet for Ghana over recent tension between some Ghanaians and Nigerians.
Dis na after some videos on top social media from di weekend bin show some Ghanaians for 'tip-toe lane' for Accra during one "Nigeria must go" protest.
Di pipo wey largely be traders for di retail market for dat area wit dia placards and oda tins tok say dia Nigerian counterparts bin dey cause kasala for dia wey dem allegedly dey involved for criminal activities.
Nigerian foreign minister Bianca Ojukwu wey visit di kontri over di matter tok say di viral videos dem see online, don cause anxiety na so she don come to understand di mata for herself.
"As I arrive, I neva see pipo wey dey burn tyres for street wit placards everywia wey dey tok say make dem deport Nigerians," Bianca Ojukwu tok for joint press conference after dia meeting.
She add say "dis dey show how di Ghana govment and di president don rise to di occasion - I go tok say dia is no cause for alarm, dem dey handle di situation effectively wia we go continue stakeholder engagement."
Bianca Ojukwu also explain say dem bin meet some of di leaders and pipo wey dey for di centre of di kasala and to ensure say tensions no go rise to become ogbonge crisis."
Ghana Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa explain say di ministry dey handle di mata wia dem already meet leaders of some of di Nigerian community for Ghana.
"Di Ghana govment go ensure say everybody for di kontri - citizens and non-citizens dey protected."
Im add say in as much as di kontri go protect everybody, pipo also gat to dey "law-abiding and avoid criminal activities and tins wey fit divide us."
Why some Ghanaians protest against Nigerians for Accra
Ova di weekend, some Ghanaians wey don dey do business for one area for Accra wia pipo sabi as 'circle' bin protest.
Dem accuse dia Nigerian counterparts say dem dey involved for retail trade wey dem also dey allegedly commit crime.
Ghana laws no gree for foreigners to involve diasef for retail trading; like to dey sell tins like provisions, phones and accessories, clothes and oda small small tins.
Dis kind retail market bin dey reserved for di locals.
But overtime, some Nigerian businessmen and oda foreigners don open shops and stalls for some markets wey dem dey involved for retail trade.
Dis na one of di tins wey don vex dia Ghanaian counterparts.
On top di placards during di Saturday 26 July 2025 protest, di traders also accuse dem say dem dey involved for robbery, murder, cyber fraud and oda crimes for di kontri.
Na so dem tok say "Nigerians gat to go to dia kontri."
Di protest na legal?
Sources for di Ghana police tok BBC News Pidgin say di group of pipo wey bin stage di protest during di weekend, never get permit to do dat protest.
Dem no tell di police bifor dem hit di street wit dia placards.
For Ghana, di law dey require say anybody or group wey wan to demonstrate gat to write to di police service.
Di police now go gree to provide dem escort and protection for di protest.
But if di group no inform di police, wey dem no get permit to do demonstration, wetin dem do na illegal.
Police fit charge dem wit 'unlawful assembly' and 'breach of di public order act'.
Ghana Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa say "even though di govment no dey against demonstrations and citizen protests, pipo gat to do tins according to di law."
Wetin go happen after di joint meeting?
Di delegation from Nigeria wia Foreign Minister Bianca Ojukwu bin lead go meet wit leadership of di Nigerian community and oda stakeholders.
Dem also go meet wit traditional authorities for Ghana and some of di activists wey dem involved for dis mata and di issue about di Igbo pipo and dia leader for di kontri.
Early for July, tori bin dey social media say di leader of di Igbo people for Ghana bin wan buy parcel of land to establish wetin dem describe as Igbo kingdom.
Di Ga traditional council and di Ningo chiefs bin dismiss di mata say foreign pipo no fit establish kingdom for anoda kontri.
Di mata don boil wey leader of di Igbo pipo for Ghana, Chuckwudi Jude Ihenetu bin clear di air say dem no dey establish any kingdom for Ghana.
"Di tori wey don go viral na interview from 2013 wit one network, wia we don abandon dat idea to buy di land since, so we neva get any plan to build kingdom," im tell local TV network TV3.
Im also confam say di videos wey don dey on top social media wia dem carry im photo put on top one demonstration video say Ghanaians bin dey attack Igbos, "na fake news."
Na so di Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa bin invite am ova di mata.
"We as Ghana don also meet di actors for dis kasala wey dem bin assure us say dem no go do anytin wey go raise tension and worsen di wahala.
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