By – Sadat Dabo

Six staff members have been arrested and seven others dismissed following alleged extortion during the free Ghana Card registration exercise for children at the Galaka Registration Centre in the Gumbo Electoral Area of the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region

The National Identification Authority (NIA) disclosed this in a press release issued on Thursday, October 29, 2026, following reports that some members of the registration team allegedly demanded money from parents before registering their children

According to the Authority, the six staff members were identified by parents of applicants as allegedly demanding payments for the registration of children aged between 6 and 14

The suspects have since been arrested by the Bawku West District Police and are assisting with investigations

In a related development, the NIA has terminated the appointments of seven other members of the registration team following an internal review, which found that they were aware of the alleged misconduct but failed to report it

The Authority stressed that the free Ghana Card registration exercise must be conducted strictly in accordance with approved procedures, emphasising that no staff member is authorised to demand unauthorised payments from applicants or their parents

The NIA said it takes allegations of misconduct seriously and would continue to apply appropriate disciplinary measures to protect the integrity of its registration processes

It added that its commitment remains to ensure that members of the public receive services fairly and professionally, without being subjected to unauthorised charges

The Authority has also encouraged the public to report suspected misconduct through its official channels to help promote accountability and transparency in the delivery of its services

The statement was signed by Williams Ampomah Emmanuel Darlas, Head of the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the NIA

The arrests and dismissals bring renewed attention to the need for accountability in public service delivery, particularly in exercises designed to provide free national identification registration for children

Source – gbcuraonline.com