More on PCVs in Ghana

Despite initial reports from Ghana that the pair was arrested, a State Department official said Ghanaian police did not detain the PCVs. “We are closely monitoring the situation and are providing consular assistance,” State Department spokesperson Patrick Ventrell told a news briefing, adding that the incident was under investigation by Ghanaian officials.

A police officer in the northern town of Wa said the incident happened over the weekend when the volunteers were attacked by two robbers.

Maureen Knightly, the director of communications for the Peace Corps, said both volunteers had been released and picked up by the organization’s staff. “They voluntarily reported the incident to the local authorities later that morning, were interviewed by local police and released later that day,” Knightly said.

The U.S. embassy in the capital Accra confirmed that police were investigating an incident.

Nearly 5,000 Peace Corps volunteers have worked in Ghana since 1961.