The Labour Division of the High Court in Accra will hear two ex parte applications filed by eleven West African nationals on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, challenging their detention in Ghana after being deported from the United States.
It will be recalled that the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, had earlier announced while addressing the press in Accra that Ghana had taken delivery of 14 West African nationals.
He explained that Ghana took the 14 West African nationals in after an agreement with the American government.
However, he disclosed that they have been taken back to their respective countries. However, it turns out the West African nationals have sued Ghana for their detention in Ghana.
The applicants are seeking two key reliefs: an interim injunction to halt their deportation to their respective countries, and a writ of Habeas Corpus compelling the government to present them before the court and justify the basis for their detention.
In an earlier virtual sitting on September 18, Justice Priscilla Dikro said she needed more time to study the applications before a ruling was delivered.
However, cousel for the 14 west africans deported by the United States of America government Oliver Barker-Vormawor, argued that the matter was urgent, stressing that his clients had been unlawfully detained.
President John Dramani Mahama has already announced plans for the detainees’ deportation, a statement also confirmed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The interim injunction, if granted, will restrain the government from proceeding with the deportations, while the writ of Habeas Corpus will require the state to formally justify the detention before the court.
