The High Court in Accra (Labour Division) has set Tuesday, September 23, 2025, to hear two ex-parte applications filed by eleven West African nationals who are challenging their alleged unlawful detention in Ghana following deportation from the United States.
The motions before the court are:
An interim injunction seeking to restrain the government from deporting the applicants to their countries of origin.
A writ of Habeas Corpus, compelling the government to produce the detainees in court and justify their continued detention.
Court Proceedings
On Thursday, September 18, presiding judge Justice Priscilla Dikro said she needed more time to review the motions before ruling on them.
Counsel for the applicants, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, stressed the urgency of the matter, insisting that the detainees had been held unlawfully.
He cited public statements by the President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs confirming that the applicants would be deported.
The case was adjourned to September 23 for consideration of the two interim applications.
The substantive suit—seeking enforcement of the applicants’ fundamental human rights—will be taken up after the ex-parte motions are determined.
Alleged Human Rights Violations
According to affidavits filed in support of their applications, the eleven nationals—comprising Nigerians, Liberians, Togolese, Gambians, and Malians—were secretly removed from U.S. detention centres on September 5–6, 2025, shackled, and transported to Ghana without prior notice.
Upon arrival, they were allegedly handed over to Ghanaian authorities and detained in a suspected military facility without judicial oversight.
The applicants argue that their detention breaches Article 14(1) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which guarantees personal liberty and protection from arbitrary arrest.
They also claim violations of due process, administrative justice, and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face risks of torture or persecution.
Lawyers for the applicants noted that at least eight of them had been granted Withholding of Removal or Deferral of Removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) by U.S. immigration judges—orders which explicitly bar their return to their home countries due to threats of persecution or inhumane treatment.
Reliefs Sought
The applicants, invoking Article 33(1) of the 1992 Constitution, are seeking urgent judicial protection and enforcement of their fundamental human rights.
They have sued the Attorney-General, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service as respondents.
The Applicants
The individuals involved in the case are:
Daniel Osas Aigbosa (Nigeria), Kalu John (Liberia), Zito Yao Bruno (Togo), Sidiben Dawda (Gambia), Ahmed Animashaun (Nigeria), Toure Dianke (Mali), Taiwo K. Lawson (Nigeria), Agouda Richarla (Togo), Oukpedzo Sikiratou (Togo), Boubou Gassama (Mali) and Ifeanyi Okechukwu (Nigeria)
The High Court will first determine the interim applications before proceeding to the substantive human rights enforcement case.
