The
Ghanaians had been held in the Francophone country for about two months after
police allegedly seized their travel and vehicle documents.
The
action is believed to be a crack-down on foreign vehicles which are more
preferred by passengers than local vehicles.
Union
leaders in Niger are said to have conspired with security agents to prevent
travelers from patronizing comfortable Ghanaian buses which are preferred to Nigerien
rickety vehicles.
One
of the drivers, Francis Awuah told Luv News from Niamey two of his colleagues allegedly
remained in custody for days after police arrested them for committing no
crime.
“The
Niger Police have confiscated our vehicle and driving documents. They will neither
allow us to load nor give back our documents for us to return. Some have been
confiscated for two months, others a month. They are not offering any
explanation for the action,” he said.
Some
Ghanaian passengers arriving from Libya through Niger are also worried at the
situation as they protest the “deplorable state of the vehicles” being offered
by the Nigerien authorities for their return home.
“Most
of us arrived from the dessert but are challenged in getting vehicles home. There
are a lot of people here hoping to return to Ghana but the vehicles here are
not roadworthy,” said a stranded passenger.
A
source in Niamey told Luv News on Friday that all the drivers had received
their documents back and returned to Ghana.
Checks
however indicate some of the drivers managed to pay their way through to
retrieve their documents, whilst many others remain stranded in Niger. According
to them, they are now cash-strapped and have resorted to begging to survive.
The
stranded drivers are calling on the government to intervene for the release of
their travel documents.
Story
by Kofi Adu Domfeh
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