Ghanaian released after 77 days in Burkinabe detention

A 28-year-old Ghanaian, Zakaria Abubakari from Savelugu, has recounted his ordeal after spending 77 days in detention in Burkina Faso following his arrest during a military operation.

According to Mr Zakaria, he was arrested on February 26, 2026, at about 7:00 p.m. in Kongoussi while staying in the home of a Good Samaritan, whom he described as a Mossi man he did not know personally.

He explained that he was travelling through the area on his way to an undisclosed destination in Mali when armed soldiers stormed the house and arrested him.

Mr Zakaria said he was blindfolded immediately after the arrest and transported to a military detention facility in Kaya, where he spent 13 days in custody.

He was later transferred to another undisclosed location, where he remained detained for about 50 days before being moved again to Ouagadougou. There, he spent additional days in police custody before eventually being released in late April.

According to him, security officials repeatedly questioned him about his presence in Kongoussi, an area heavily affected by the activities of non-state armed groups, particularly Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.

Mr Zakaria stated that after investigations, authorities found no incriminating evidence linking him to any jihadist group.

He, however, claimed that none of his confiscated belongings, including his clothes, were returned to him.

“They only took me to a bus station barefoot and empty-handed and told me to return to Ghana,” he recounted.

Mr Zakaria said he relied on the support of Good Samaritans, who assisted him with transport fare after hearing about his ordeal.

He has since reunited with his family in Ghana after returning from Burkina Faso.

The development comes as Ghanaian intelligence agencies continue their search for another individual, Ibrahim Sadat, a native of Wuru in the Sissala District of the Upper West Region, who was allegedly arrested by Burkinabe security forces on March 3, 2026, after crossing into the town of Kounou in Burkina Faso.

It also follows the disappearance of seven Ghanaians, all natives of the Bawku Municipality, who were reportedly invited in 2023 by alleged Burkinabe military personnel for a cattle identification exercise in Bittou, the capital of Boulgou Province.

The seven individuals were allegedly intercepted by armed men in the town of Nohao and have not been found since.

المصدر: MyJoyOnline (GH)