Ghana Will Not Deport Nigerians – President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has firmly dismissed concerns of a mass deportation of Nigerian nationals living in Ghana, reassuring a visiting Nigerian delegation that such an action is neither planned nor under consideration.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, President Mahama addressed growing fears stemming from a resurfaced 2013 video.

The clip, which featured an “Igbo king” discussing land acquisition for a so-called kingdom, sparked misinformation and panic. Mahama clarified that the claims in the video were outdated and inaccurately interpreted, describing the resulting uproar as “a storm in a teacup.”

He stressed that Ghana’s laws regulate the establishment of traditional authorities, leaving no room for unrecognized or foreign-backed structures.

Mahama reiterated Ghana’s strong ties with Nigeria, emphasizing shared ancestry and regional cooperation through ECOWAS. “We are like siblings from the same parents; our destinies are interwoven,” he remarked, noting that Ghana has no intention of repeating the mass deportations that marred the histories of both countries in the 1960s and 1980s.

Reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to ECOWAS protocols that permit free movement across member states, Mahama assured that any Nigerian individual involved in criminal acts in Ghana will be dealt with according to due legal process—not through collective punishment.

Minister Odumegwu-Ojukwu relayed the deep concerns of the Nigerian government and public, citing fears of forced repatriation and attacks on Nigerian-owned businesses, which triggered emergency debates in Nigeria’s National Assembly and calls from traditional leaders urging relatives in Ghana to return home.

She lauded President Mahama’s statesmanship and efforts to defuse tensions, noting that the alarm surrounding their arrival in Accra had ultimately proven to be unfounded.