There have been a lot of reactions from various Ghanaians following the re-arrest of famous 'galamsey kingpin' Aisha Huang after her deportation some 4 years ago.
En Huang (real name) was rearrested on September 2, 2022, for her involvement in illegal mining in the country after her earlier arrest and prosecution for same in 2018.
At her appearance in court on September 5, she was charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) and providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act.
While the case is still being heard in court, it has also been discovered that her Ghana card was renewed in February this year, raising more concerns.
Ghanaians have been reacting to this development, as they wondered how she not only returned to the country after her deportation but also was able to renew her Ghana Card.
Others have also called for the resignation of the Interior Minister and the NIA boss, heads of two institutions in charge of immigration and registration of the Ghana Card.
Franklin Cudjoe:
Imani Africa Boss, Franklin Cudjoe for instance raised questions about how Aisha Huang re-entered the country after 4 years of deportation.
“How did Aisha Huang get into Ghana?” he wrote on his wall on Facebook.
Joyce Bawah Mogtari:
Joyce Bawah Mogtari, an aide to Former President John Dramani Mahama, on her part has suggested that the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Ken Attafuah, is sacked. Her issues follow the issuance of Ghana Card for Aisha Huang.
“In a serious country, the National Identification Authority Boss would have been asked to resign or be sacked,” she tweeted on September 6,” she wrote on her status.
Kofi Bentil:
Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has also made such calls. He opined that the whole brouhaha surrounding Aisha Huang’s Ghana card points to the fact that the NIA boss’ “noise” was all a sham.
He has also hinted that he will scrutinize information by the NIA that the Authority foiled attempts by Aisha Huang to reregister for Ghana Card using a different name.
“If we are serious, the boss of NIA will be sacked for giving Aisha a Ghana Card. It’s proof that all his noise and acts are a sham!!
“The head of NIA has given some answers. He says Aisha was given a foreigner’s ID card and the system caught her when she tried to re-register with another name. We will check and revert,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Adib Sani:
Security analyst, Adib Sani, said the return of Chinese galamsey kingpin Aisha after her 2018 deportation, is an indictment on Ghana's security apparatus.
"For Aisha Huang to sneak back into the country without being noticed at the border leaves a lot to be desired in the management of the country’s security," Mr Saani Adib said.
Ade Coker:
The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Joseph Ade Coker has also added his voice to the subject. According to him, the Minister of Interior must resign over the re-entry of Chinese national, Aisha Huang.
“This is very bad for this government; in any other jurisdiction, the Minister would have resigned in any serious jurisdiction. This is because he is in charge of immigration and he is in charge of internal security, but we are here glossing over it,” he said in an interview with Atinka TV.
Dr. Adam Bonaa:
Security Analyst, Dr. Adam Bonaa also raised concerns all the digitization couldn’t trace Aisha Huang.
According to him, the fact that the ‘galamsey’ queen was able to enter without being detected despite all the investment the government has made in its digitization agenda shows that there is more work to do to improve the country’s security infrastructure.
“All the digitization couldn’t trace Aisha Huang irrespective of the millions of cedis the government has invested in the digitization agenda,” he said in an interview with 3news.
NYA/WA
Aisha Huang was deported in 2018 by the government