Immigration officer transferred from Accra International Airport after asking passenger for ‘breakfast’

Two Port Health officers have been barred from working at the Accra International Airport and other airports operated by the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) after they were found to have extorted money from a foreign traveller seeking a Yellow Fever Card. GACL said the incident occurred at Terminal 3 on Wednesday, August 5, when the two officers charged the foreign passport holder US$40 for the issuance of the card instead of the approved US$20 fee. In a statement issued on Thursday, August 6, the company announced that the officers’ airport identification cards had subsequently been withdrawn and deactivated.

“On 5th August 2026, two Port Health officers working inside Terminal 3 were found to have extorted money from a Foreign passport holder for the issuance of a Yellow Fever Card,” GACL said. According to the company, the approved charge for a Yellow Fever Card is US$20 for foreign passport holders and GH¢100 for Ghanaian passport holders. “However, the officers charged the passenger USD 40,” the statement said.

GACL said immediate action was taken after the incident came to its attention. “Their ID cards to operate in the terminal have been withdrawn and deactivated. As of Thursday, 6th August 2026, the two officers are no longer permitted to work at Accra International Airport or any other GACL-operated airport,” it stated.

Meanwhile, a Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) officer has also been transferred from the Accra International Airport after she was captured in a viral video allegedly demanding money for “breakfast” from a passenger. The action forms part of a broader campaign by GACL to tackle complaints of extortion and solicitation of money from passengers by some personnel working within Ghana’s airports. In June 2026, GACL introduced a dedicated hotline for travellers to report suspected extortion by personnel from the various institutions operating within airport terminals.

The company said the reporting mechanism covers officials from Port Health, the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service, GRA Customs, the Narcotics Control Commission, as well as employees of airlines, ground handling companies and private security firms. GACL also said personnel operating in the terminals are required to display identification cards to make it easier for passengers to identify the institution they represent when lodging complaints. A Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) officer has been transferred from the Accra International Airport after she was captured in a viral video allegedly demanding money for “breakfast” from a passenger.

The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), which announced the action in a statement on Thursday, August 6, said the Immigration Service had confirmed that the officer involved had been transferred from the airport. “Management has also taken note of a viral video showing a Ghana Immigration Service officer demanding money for ‘breakfast’ from a passenger,” GACL said. “The Ghana Immigration Service has confirmed that the officer in question has since been transferred from the airport,” the statement added.