Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and founder of the Danquah Institute (DI), has claimed that illegal immigrants sneak into the UK despite widespread belief that such countries have better systems for checking and detecting such outliers.
Mr Otchere-Darko’s remarks follow reactions to news that Chinese national Aisha Huang, who was deported from Ghana for illegal mining, has re-entered the country and been arrested for the same wrongdoing.
The galamsey queen has been accused of two crimes, thus mining without a permit and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a valid license.
She was detained alongside three other people: Johng Li Hua, Huang Jei, and Huaid Hai Hun.
In a Facebook post, following news of her arrest, Mr Otchere-Darko advised Ghanaians to vote for a party with a manifesto that will promise to build a wall across Ghana’s borders to prevent illegal entry of other nationals.
“Why do we love to overbash ourselves? Even in island UK, illegal immigrants (Black Africans included) sneak in. She’s been caught and under arrest; there our system worked. Vote for a 2024 manifesto which promises you a wall across our borders,” the DI founder wrote.
In May 2017, Aisha Huang became a household name for her notoriety in the galamsey business which gave her the nickname Galamsey Queen.
She was charged with three counts of undertaking small-scale mining operations, contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703); providing mining support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, and contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the illegal employment of foreign nationals, contrary to the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
While the case was ongoing, the government suddenly discontinued the case and deported her in December 2018 raising eyebrows among lots of concerned citizens.
She is believed to have returned to the country through the Togo border to engage in the same illegal business for which she was arrested and deported.
