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WHY GHANAIANS PROTEST AGAINST NIGERIANS
Tension rose between Nigeria and Ghana at the end of July when some Ghanaians took to the streets to demand the deportation of Nigerians following repeated incidents of criminal activities in the country, which were blamed on foreign nationals.
Some Ghanaians had staged a protest in Accra, demanding the immediate expulsion of Nigerians from their country over alleged involvement in crime and social vices.
The protesters displayed placards with messages, such as “Nigerians Must Go”, “End Kidnapping”, “End Prostitution”, “End Armed Robbery”, “End Fraud”, and “End Ritual Murders.”
They also accused some Nigerians in Ghana of fuelling insecurity and moral decadence in their country, with some of the placards carried by the protesters reading, “Who protects the right and freedom of Ghanaians?”, “Nigerians are kidnapping and using people for rituals”, and “Our kids are getting missing.”
In a viral video, several protesters were seen draped in the Ghanaian national flag while others donned red clothing — a traditional symbol of resistance.
One female protester, dressed in red and holding a placard, declared, “Nigerians must go because you cannot be in someone’s country and be doing anyhow.”
Another placard read, “Our Health At Stake Due to Mass Prostitution,” explaining growing public frustration over perceived health and safety risks allegedly linked to activities of some Nigerian nationals in the country.
One protester, riding on a motorcycle, explained how the presence of Nigerians in Ghana was fuelling insecurity in the country.
He said a time would come when even they and their children wouldn’t be able to go out and return home safely.
He pointed to the incident involving an official of the Ghana High Commission, who recently died in Abuja, after a robbery incident.
Evolution of tension between Nigeria and Ghana
Under British colonial administration, both Nigeria and Ghana (then Gold Coast) witnessed significant inter-migration. Nigerians, particularly Hausas, formed part of military and trading units in Ghana.
Post-independence, the economic boom in Ghana attracted Nigerian migrants, especially the Yoruba, seeking opportunities in commerce and public service. This era reflected an informal Pan-African ideal: borderless brotherhood.
However, in 1969, the Ghanaian government under Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia issued the infamous Aliens Compliance Order. It mandated all undocumented foreigners to leave Ghana within two weeks.
The move resulted in the expulsion of an estimated 140,000 Nigerians, triggering a diplomatic fallout. Ghana justified the action as a necessity to preserve jobs and stabilize its economy, but it sowed seeds of distrust.
And by 1983, the tables had turned. Nigeria, experiencing an economic downturn and rising unemployment, expelled over two million immigrants, including about one million Ghanaians. Coined as the “Ghana Must Go” episode, the term referred to the patterned travel bags used by deported Ghanaians.
Though Nigeria claimed it was enforcing immigration laws, many saw it as retaliation for Ghana’s earlier action.
Fortunately, by the late 1980s, cooler heads prevailed. Presidents Jerry Rawlings of Ghana and Ibrahim Babangida of Nigeria pursued reconciliation. A joint commission for cooperation was established, paving the way for better trade, cultural exchange, and conflict mediation. These efforts helped restore diplomatic balance and signalled a renewed commitment to ECOWAS principles of free movement.
But immigration issues resurfaced in the 2020s. In Ghana, Nigerian-owned businesses were targeted in enforcement sweeps, prompting outrage in Abuja. Nigeria accused Ghana of xenophobia, while Ghana insisted on legal compliance. As nationalism and economic protectionism gained traction globally, their echo reverberated in West Africa’s immigration policies.
In 2025, protests emerged in Ghana calling for tighter border controls. Dubbed “Nigeria Must Go”, the movement mirrored past episodes and triggered fresh diplomatic concerns. While not state-sponsored, the rhetoric risked destabilising regional peace.
‘No threats to our lives yet’
Speaking about the protest, a young Nigerian trader at Kasoa town in Accra, Mr Ezikpe Ukaku, told Weekend Trust that there was no immediate threat to Nigerians doing legitimate businesses in Ghana.
“I heard about the protests calling on Nigerians to leave Ghana, but it seemed to be instigated by certain persons to propagate an agenda, especially after a 2013 video of one Eze Ndigbo claiming to buy land to set up an Igbo Village surfaced online,” he said.
On the allegations of crime against Nigerians, he said there are concerns about some Nigerians who traffic young women to Ghana for prostitution, or to transit them to Europe, which also has local women.
“Just this month, we had the biggest arrest in Ghana by the American FBI involving eight Ghanaians in cyberfraud against Americans,” he said.
Regarding why many Nigerians continue to live in Ghana, he pointed to the country’s stable electricity supply and responsive security, despite battling high inflation and hardship.
Also speaking, Chukwuemeka Nnaji, a former President of the Nigerian Union of Traders Association, Ghana (NUTAG), said there were no threats to their life and property for now.
“We are really fine. Not much is happening. Yes, the protests that we all witnessed happened on Sunday, and Sundays are not business days here.
“So, you can just understand that it’s just the social media people trying to create some kind of attention. However, as a people, nobody has attacked us or our businesses, and nobody has attacked us directly.
Similarly, Eddison Agbenyegah, Ghana’s Deputy Head of Mission in Nigeria, assured Weekend Trust that there was no cause for alarm.
“Nigerians can continue with their daily activities. the protesters are just some people who gathered to do a social media protest.
“There is no danger to Nigerians in Ghana, I can assure you of that,” he said.
Cause for alarm- FG
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has called for calm over the protests.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), in a statement by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, its Chairman/CEO, urged Nigerians living in Ghana not to be provoked or become violent with anyone, as the issue was being handled at the diplomatic level.
She said the blanket outrage against Nigerians living in Ghana and branding them as criminals should be condemned by all.
“Nigerians are not criminals. They are good ambassadors wherever they find themselves, while those bad ones should be fished out to face necessary sanctions.
“Ghana and Nigeria are like Siamese twins. They are brothers and in the spirit of ECOWAS and regional integration, should continue to live in peace like brothers,” she noted in a statement signed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, spokesperson of NIDCOM.
Dabiri-Erewa also advised Nigerians to disregard videos circulating that Nigerians’ shops and property were being destroyed by Ghanaians, saying, “There is no evidence to that, and we must at all costs try to prevent any reprisal attacks”.
Similarly, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the government would handle the issue diplomatically.
He said, “We will engage them diplomatically.”
No room for xenophobia – Ghana president
On his part, President John Mahama of Ghana has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocols, stating that there’s no place for xenophobia in Ghana.
Mahama disclosed this while receiving President Bola Tinubu’s special envoy, led by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at the Presidential Palace, Accra, Ghana.
The Ghanaian president reiterated his commitment to advancing the ECOWAS protocols, especially on the free movement of persons and goods in the region.
Mahama asked the envoy to convey his message to President Tinubu, urging that he should not lose sleep over recent protests against Nigerian nationals resident in his country.
According to him, Nigeria and Ghana are brothers with shared history, assuring that his government would not allow anything to come between them.
He restated that the recirculation of an old video made by a Nigerian residing in Ghana over 10 years ago had generated tension, but announced that the situation had been swiftly managed.
He said that the protesters were not up to 50, assuring the envoy of the safety and protection of the lives, property and businesses of Nigeria and Nigerians in Ghana.
