Stowaway incident prompts calls for harsher punishment

A recent incident involving two stowaways nabbed in the Port of Tema has prompted calls for harsher punishment to act as a stronger deterrent.

Port security manager Colonel William Kwabiah believes that current legislation is far too lenient.

The law as it stands requires individuals to be handed over to the immigration service who then hand them over to the Ghana Police for prosecution.

Fines are meagre and jail term insignificant in his view.

“Currently they may be asked to pay around 500 Ghana cedis (R1260) or be sent to jail for a month or two. Normally they would get people to pay this amount, which is not enough of a deterrent,” he added.