Foreign Affairs Ministry rejects fee and fake ticket allegations in Latvia student death case
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana has dismissed claims that it asked the family of the late Nana Agyei Ahyia, a Ghanaian student who died in Latvia, to pay money or was involved in issuing a fake airline ticket. The ministry described these allegations as false and misleading after they spread widely on social media.
In an official statement, the ministry said that at no time did it, or any official acting on its behalf, request or receive any payment from the student’s family for travel arrangements or related support. It said the Government of Ghana is fully covering all necessary costs connected to the case.
Some online videos claimed that officials demanded more than GH¢2,000 from the family, that government representatives traveled abroad without a relative present, and that the ticket given to the mother was fake. The ministry categorically denied all of these assertions. It clarified that the document circulating online was only a flight itinerary used to support a visa application, not a confirmed ticket for travel.
The ministry explained that two family members were meant to travel to Latvia on January 31, 2026, but the trip was delayed because the required visas were not issued and the relatives’ passports remained with the embassy. It said the family was repeatedly informed about these delays before any attempts to go to the airport.
Officials added that misinformation and unverified claims on social media were making efforts to secure visas and move the case forward more difficult. They urged the public to rely on accurate information and allow official diplomatic and investigative processes to continue.
The controversy remains a sensitive topic in Ghana, where many people have called for a transparent inquiry into the circumstances of the student’s death and stronger support for the family as authorities follow up with Latvian officials
