The High Court in Accra (Labour Division) has scheduled Tuesday, September 23, to hear two ex-parte applications from eleven West African nationals who have sued the government of Ghana over their deportation from the United States, alleging unlawful detention.
The applicants from countries including Nigeria, Liberia, Togo, The Gambia, and Mali, previously held in immigration detention in the United States and granted protection against removal by U.S. immigration courts, claim their fundamental human rights have been violated. They said they were secretly removed from U.S. detention centers on September 5-6, 2025, shackled, and transported to Ghana without notice or explanation.
Already, the Government has defended its decision to accept the West African deportees from the United States of America. According to Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana acted in the spirit of Pan-Africanism.
But the applicants argue that, upon arrival, they were handed over to Ghanaian authorities, and have been detained in a suspected military facility without due process or judicial oversight.
The two motions are – an interim injunction seeking to stop their deportation to their respective countries by the government of Ghana. The other – a motion for Habeas Corpus, which requires the government to produce the detainees before a court and justify their detention. In court on Thursday, September 19, Justice Pricilla Dikro stated that she would need time to review the ex-parte motions before considering them.
Counsel Oliver Barker-Vormawor emphasized the urgency of the matter, highlighting that the applicants have been in unlawful detention. Counsel pointed out that the President had indicated the detainees would be deported to their respective countries, a statement affirmed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The interim injunction aims to halt the deportation process, while the Habeas Corpus application seeks to compel the government to produce the detainees in court.
The court adjourned the case to September 23 to hear the two interim applications.
