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The Labour Division of the Accra High Court has scheduled September 23, 2025, to hear two ex-parte applications filed by eleven West African nationals challenging their detention in Ghana after deportation from the United States.
The applicants are seeking an interim injunction to prevent their removal to their home countries and a writ of habeas corpus compelling the government to justify their continued detention.
During a virtual sitting on Thursday, Justice Priscilla Dikro said she needed more time to study the applications. Lead counsel Oliver Barker-Vormawor argued that the case was urgent, insisting his clients were being unlawfully detained.
According to the applicants, President John Dramani Mahama has already announced plans to deport them, a statement confirmed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. They claim they were secretly removed from U.S. detention centers between September 5 and 6, shackled, and transported to Ghana without explanation, before being handed over to local authorities and confined in what they believe to be a military facility.
The group comprises Nigerians Daniel Osas Aigbosa, Ahmed Animashaun, Ifeanyi Okechukwu, and Taiwo K. Lawson; Liberian national Kalu John; Togolese nationals Zito Yao Bruno and Agouda Richarla Oukpedzo Sikiratou; Gambian national Sidiben Dawda; and Malians Toure Dianke and Boubou Gassama.
They have named the Attorney-General, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service as respondents, arguing that their detention violates Articles 14(1) and 23 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which protect personal liberty and administrative justice.
The applicants also cited international law, noting that at least eight of them had previously been granted protection under the U.S. Convention Against Torture (CAT), which prohibits their deportation to countries where they risk persecution, torture, or inhumane treatment.
The High Court will first rule on the interim applications before considering the substantive enforcement of their fundamental human rights.
