The Ghana Police Service has resolved a potentially controversial incident involving a broken seal on an electoral material bag in Koforidua, Eastern Region. The bag, meant for distribution to a constituency, sparked concerns after the seal was discovered broken during routine handling.
In a statement on Thursday, the Police explained, “It has been revealed that when the bags were removed from the armoury, one of the seals was found to be off. It has been established that this occurred as a result of the packing and unpacking of the bags.”
Further investigations conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC), alongside representatives of political parties, confirmed the contents of the bag remained untouched and secure.
“The broken seal has been found, and the contents of the bag have been confirmed to be intact by the stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission and representatives of the political parties who witnessed the incident,” the statement added.
The Police assured the public of the integrity of the electoral materials, emphasising that all concerns had been addressed to preserve confidence in the electoral process.
The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has confirmed that two protesters from the recent #ReoccupyJulorbiHouse and #StopGalamseyNow demonstrations, organized by Democracy Hub, were held in custody for over 48 hours. This comes after claims from demonstrators and others that several individuals were detained longer than legally permitted before being presented to the court.
In a statement released on September 26, the police described the situation as regrettable and announced an investigation by the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) into why the two suspects were not taken to court in the required timeframe.
“At the Police Station, Police provided the child with food and for the sake of the child, her guardian, Grace Asantewaa, was granted a Police enquiry bail and allowed to go home with the child. The Ghana Poke Service has charged Grace Asantewaa with the offence of exposing a child to danger, by bringing her to the demonstration grounds, contrary to section 71 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29),” part of the statement read.
The police also addressed rumors about other individuals allegedly arrested during the protests, specifically a 12-year-old girl, a 68-year-old woman, and a pregnant woman. They clarified that the 68-year-old was, in fact, Grace Asantewaa, a 50-year-old woman who was accompanied by her child during the demonstration. To avoid separating the child from her, the police allowed both to stay together at the station, where they provided food for the child. Grace Asantewaa was released on police enquiry bail but is facing charges for endangering her child by bringing her to the protest, in violation of section 71 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
In related news, on September 26, the Accra Circuit Court ordered Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a key figure behind the #FixTheCountry movement, along with 12 other protesters, to remain in police custody for two weeks following their arrests during protests at the 37 Roundabout. Their demonstrations focused on issues like illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) and economic mismanagement.
The Ghana Police Service has disclosed the cause of death of 24-year-old Lois Abena Koranteng, a graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who died under mysterious circumstances while on a business trip.
In an official statement signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Grace Ansah-Akrofi, the police confirmed that the autopsy conducted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital revealed Lois died from asphyxia, severe pulmonary edema, and drowning in a pool.
“The body was later deposited at the morgue where an autopsy was conducted on June 8, 2024, in the presence of the deceased’s family by a pathologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital who verbally stated the cause of death as (i) Asphyxia (ii) severe pulmonary edema and (iii) drowning in a pool,” the statement read.
The police received an official complaint on June 8, 2024, reporting that Lois was found unconscious in a swimming pool at a hotel in Takoradi, Western Region. Despite being rushed to the hospital, she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The investigation began immediately, with a police team visiting both the scene and the hospital. No marks of assault were found on Lois’s body. However, the lack of visible injuries did not deter further investigation.
Following dissatisfaction expressed by the deceased’s family regarding police communication, the Inspector-General of Police reached out to them on July 10, 2024, to apologise and assure them of ongoing investigations. He also promised more frequent updates on the case.
The family of Lois Abena Koranteng, particularly her brother George Agyenim Boateng, has voiced frustration over the slow pace of the investigation and the perceived lack of transparency. George highlighted that despite a month having passed since Lois’s death, no arrests have been made, and the family has not been fully briefed on the investigation’s progress.
George explained that Lois had informed her family on June 7, 2024, about her business trip to Anaji, Takoradi, with her supervisor and a company driver.
The family was later notified of her death on June 8, 2024, with reports stating she was found in a swimming pool and pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Ghana Police Service(GPS) has issued a stern warning to the public, urging them to refrain from sharing Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage of criminal activities on social media platforms.
The GPS believes this approach will hamper its investigations and jeopardise the chances of arresting the culprits.
Director of the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Grace Ansah-Akrofi, stated that such actions would benefit neither the public nor the service.
She emphasized that it would expedite the process of bringing the perpetrators to justice if the public shared the CCTV footage directly with the police.
“In the event of any incident, instead of circulating the CCTV footage, they should first share it with the police to help in our investigations. Sometimes, putting it out there makes our investigative efforts difficult because if you are a suspect and you know that there is footage of you, it reveals your identity and the like,” she said on Citi FM.
She added that the police had the expertise and the equipment to analyse the CCTV footage and identify the suspects, and that sharing it on social media could alert them and make them flee or destroy evidence.
She also appealed to the public to cooperate with the police and provide any relevant information that could assist in solving crimes.
Therefore, the public is advised to exercise caution and discretion when dealing with CCTV footage of crimes, and to respect the work of the police and the law.
Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, on Friday, January 12, 2024, accompanied by some members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), conducted a working visit to the Ghana Armed Forces Central Command in Kumasi, the Kumasi Central Prison, and the Kumasi Metropolitan Fire Station.
The purpose of these visits was to enhance relationships and promote collaboration, with the aim of maintaining peace, law, and order in the Kumasi Metropolis.
The IGP and his team who were on a security tour of Kumasi and its environs also paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The team also met with members of the Ashanti regional branch of the Ghana Union of Traders Association on their security concerns.
Meanwhile, the Asantehene has commended the IGP for enhancing the outlook and public perception of the police service.
“I want to commend you for the good work you’re doing with your team. Since you came to the scene. Now we feel the Police in our lives, our homes and everywhere and we are grateful”.
Commenting on security in the Ashanti region during the Christmas festivities, the Ashanti Monarch said he was marvelled by the number of motorbikes that patrolled the region and Kumasi in particular to ensure the safety of residents.
“I was here when they came to show me videos of the number of officers patrolling the city on motorbikes and it was beautiful. Because of your work, we didn’t see robberies and the number of carnage we used to see on our roads during Christmas, please continue the work because we are praying for you”.
A Belgian woman, Shalimar Abbiusi, who recently introduced herself as the spokesperson of The New Force, a group that claims to be fighting for the rights of Ghanaians, has been arrested by the Ghana Police Service (GPS) for allegedly using a forged document to obtain a resident permit in Ghana.
This is according to a report by Media General’s 3news. Abbiusi came into the limelight after she appeared in a video that went viral on social media, in which she claimed to be the spokesperson of The New Force, a group that says it is fighting for the liberation of Ghanaians from corruption, injustice, and oppression.
The video sparked mixed reactions from Ghanaians, with some supporting Abbiusi‘s message, while others questioning her credibility and motive. Some also expressed doubt about the existence and legitimacy of The New Force.
The GPS has not yet released any official statement on the reported arrest of Abbiusi.
Details surrounding the arrest are currently limited, and The Independent Ghana is actively monitoring the situation. Updates on this unfolding story will be provided as more information becomes available.
A violent confrontation between Gbi Godenu residents and Police in Hohoe has resulted in two fatalities, with another injured after a Police vehicle knocked him down on Wednesday.
A Ghana News Agency visit to Hohoe Regional Hospital revealed that the motorcyclist underwent surgical treatment in response to injuries sustained from the incident. However, two additional individuals were pronounced deceased upon arrival, with their bodies placed in the morgue awaiting autopsy.
Due to a disagreement between certain police officers and civilians over suspected contraband, the Gbi Godenu town within the Hohoe Municipality has been abandoned.
The alleged scuffle stemmed from a Police chase of a man riding a motorbike, who was suspected to be carrying some contraband consignment, who was knocked down by the driver of the Police vehicle and injured in the process of stopping him.
This incident incensed the residents, who mobilised to block the main Hohoe-Accra Road and met the Police force but two residents were hit by bullets, injuring them.
There were multiple reports with different narrations pertaining to the incident but Mr Andy Agbi, an eyewitness narrated to the GNA that a Police vehicle, which was chasing a motor rider, believed by the Police to be carrying contraband consignment failed to stop when flagged to do so.
He said the get-away-rider was then chased by the Police taskforce and knocked down into a gutter.
Mr Agbi said the injured rider was sent to the hospital by the town folks and later the Police vehicle caught fire, which he believed was an electrical fault.
However, the Police returned to the scene suspecting the incident to be an arsonist attack on their vehicle in retaliation.
He said the Police re-mobilised the area to show force by raiding the town, setting motorbikes ablaze on sight and looting shops amidst the indiscriminate firing of their weapons.
Mr. Agbi said he saw one of the victims, who was shot in the leg, rush to the hospital while he picked up information that one was also shot in the shoulder but later got information, that both had passed on.
When the GNA arrived at Gbi Wegbe, many of the shops were closed, with roads leading to Kpando from Hohoe and from Hohoe to Accra blocked.
It was observed that Schools at Gbi Wegbe as of 1330 hours were closed.
A male victim told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that he was dragged out of his shop by the Police and hit with the butt of a gun and he had to run for his life.
GNA saw bruises and a cut on his head, while his face and part of his body were swollen.
A female store owner at Godenu was wailing and shouting about how the Police had broken into her shop, destroyed her fridge and made away with some provisions.
A scuffle ensued and when Mr Daniel Noble Awume, Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), arrived at Gbi Wegbe, he was greeted by angry youth, who would not listen to any explanation from the MCE.
The occurrence later forced the MCE to drive away from the scene.
The road between where the civilians had mounted a roadblock and that of the Police was about two kilometres apart with visible sizes of stones and pieces of cement blocks littering the space. There was blood stain on some part of the road.
An ash car with registration number GC 8249 11 had all its glasses smashed, while more than 45 motorbikes were set ablaze.
A swoop by the Police also led to the seizure of parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
The Police also picked up close to 15 individuals, some of whom were in handcuffs, with some showing various forms of injuries.
Mr Patrick Dzandu, Assemblyman, Gbi-Wegbe Electoral Area, who tried calming the nerves of angry residents, who had blocked the main Hohoe-Accra Road failed to convince the residents to leave the street.
Mr John-Peter Amewu, Member of Parliament of Hohoe, asked the Police to avoid any further swoop action against the Gbi Godenu and Gbi Wegbe communities as that could elicit the loss of lives.
The Paramount Chief of the Gbi Traditional Area Togbega Gabusu VII has called for calm from Gbi-Godenu to Gbi–Wegbe and assured the youth of an amicable resolution to ensure peace in the Gbi State.
“I have spoken to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) so this issue will be resolved but I ask that you (youth) do not take the laws into your own hands,” he added.
The Police said they restored calm after a violent disturbance in which a Police patrol vehicle involved in an accident with a motorbike rider was set on fire by some community members.
They added that “two people lost their lives in the violence and the motor rider who sustained injury during the accident is currently receiving medical attention, 12 people have so far been arrested and one Bruni pistol retrieved.”
Residents of Wegbe and Godenu suffered from Police brutality resulting in the death of two of their members last year and some months ago, and that could be the underlying conflict between the people and the Police.
A collaboration between the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has resulted in the apprehension of a 19-year-old individual from Niger and a Ghanaian accomplice on suspicion of theft of fiber optic cables owned by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), as reported by The Chronicle newspaper.
An insider disclosed that Simon Kwamena Atta, a Ghanaian cocoa farmer, and Osama Adamu, a Nigerien operating as a scrap dealer, were apprehended on Saturday, August 19, 2023, in Mpeasem, situated close to Half Assini in the Jomoro District.
The group, consisting of NIB and police personnel, recovered a portion of the stolen items from the homes of the detained individuals. Additionally, they uncovered a mud-brick structure where a significant portion of the stolen materials had been stored.
All the stolen materials were conveyed in three trucks and are currently in the custody of the Half Assini Police, awaiting investigations, The Chronicle newspaper added.
Recently, criminals have targeted electricity cables and transportation signals because of the profitability of these items, the report added.
But these thefts result in serious repercussions, including power outages, communication disruptions, and transportation delays that negatively affect the economic growth of the country in the long run.
There have been reports of theft convictions in past years, for instance at Odumase-Krobo when the Circuit Court convicted a man, William Ntow, to a 7-year prison sentence, after he was found culpable of stealing cables belonging to Vodafone.
The Electricity Company of Ghana has appealed to the general public to help end cable stealing as it creates an unending burden on society.
A 37-year-old artisanal miner, Nana Ackah, has been apprehended by the Western Regional Police Command on suspicion of killing his six-year-old niece in an alleged unsuccessful ritual involving money.
The individual in question is thought to have sought out a practitioner of rituals to help him rapidly amass wealth or perform supernatural acts to improve his financial situation instantly.
He was informed that in order for the procedure to advance, he would need to employ his niece as a sacrificial offering.
Nana Ackah immediately rushed home, picked up his niece, Sandra Manu, and informed her parents and other relatives that he was taking her out on a treat.
The two set out on their trek, and along the way, another relative approached them and asked where he (Ackah) was taking her.
He was offended and asked if he didn’t have the right to take his niece out.
The stated relative then warned them not to stay too long where they were.
Sandra Manu questioned the uncle about where he was taking her while they were on their way, but he refused to say.
The girl then began crying, but the uncle consoled her with toffee and requested that she stop.
A few moments later, the uncle allegedly severed the minor’s head with a machete, removed her genitals and other parts of her body, and took them to the ritualist.
Nana Ackah informed the ritualist that he had brought some pieces of the niece, as was required.
But the ritualist told him that he did not ask him to kill the girl and send her pieces since she was needed alive for the money rituals.
Nana Ackah then left the shrine and returned to the bush, where he allegedly murdered the girl and buried her remains.
According to Agya Ben’s story on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Nana Ackah went home and told them Sandra had gone missing.
He claimed to have requested that she wait for him at a specific location while he went to hear nature’s call.
But met her absence after returning to the location where he had asked her to wait.
The police were notified, and a three-day search for the girl was launched, even though Nana Ackah had reportedly murdered her.
On the third day, he confessed to the crime and brought police, family members, and journalists to the site where Sandra was buried.
The Police dug up the site and, to their astonishment, discovered Sandra’s headless body and the other pieces he had removed and planned to use for the money rituals.
He then led the police to the ritualist, who has also been arrested but has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he did not request that Nana Ackah kill Sandra but rather deliver her life to the shrine.
A significant suspect involved in the Ablekuma bullion van robbery, suspected to be of Togolese nationality, was apprehended on Sunday, July 17, 2023, at a concealed location in Togo while attempting to escape the country following the incident.
In a joint operation between the Ghana Police Service and Interpol in Togo, Blessing Njoma was apprehended on Saturday, July 15, 2023, in the Togolese town of Asigame. The arrest was made based on information received from a reliable source.
Blessing Njoma is implicated as a key figure in the robbery of a bullion van in Ablekuma, located in the Greater Accra Region. The incident tragically led to the loss of a police officer, Callistus Amoah, who was laid to rest over the weekend.
Confirming the arrest of the suspect, a police situational report read in part “On 15/07/23 about 0700 hours, Aflao District Police Command gathered intelligence that one of the suspects in Ablekuma bullion van robbery case has been spotted in Asigame market in Lome Togo.
“Based on the information the District Crime Officer DSP Eric Vondee in charge D/Insprs Gabriel Damadzi, Martin Afari Koranteng and Cpl Issah Ayamba proceeded to Asigame market Lome Togo and with the assistance of Togo Interpol, arrested suspect Blessing Njoma a Nigerian. The suspect was searched on the spot, but nothing incriminating was found on him. The suspect was taken to Togo Interpol Headquarters and when his body was searched old bullet scars were found on the right shoulder.
“According to him, he was shot in Nigeria in 2014 in a fight. Efforts are being made to search his place of abode before extraditing him to Ghana.”
Earlier this month, two other suspects, Benjamin Ojogbe and Rashid Abdul were arrested for their alleged involvement in the robbery and killing of the police officer which happened on June 22, 2023.
The Eastern Regional Police Command of the Ghana Police Service has initiated a comprehensive investigation into the tragic incident surrounding the purported murder of a 24-year-old motorcycle rider. The authorities are actively pursuing leads and gathering evidence to shed light on the circumstances surrounding this distressing event.
With a focus on uncovering the truth and delivering justice, the ongoing investigation highlights the commitment of the Ghana Police Service to ensuring the safety and security of its citizens.
The 24-year-old motorcycle rider’s untimely demise is believed to be the result of a tragic incident involving passengers he had picked up late at night in Kwarfokurom, a small town situated in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region.
The Motorcycle rider is alleged to have been murdered by pillion passengers he picked up at night at Kwarfokurom, a small town in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region.
According to sources, some residents in the area found his body in a pool of blood.
The deceased was an Okada rider after completing Senior High School to support his widowed mother and siblings.
The deceased mother, narrating the sad incident, said, “I received a call that Mensah (the deceased) has been killed. I did not believe it. I did not find any Motorcycle riders in the community. I was told they had all converged at the scene where my son was found. It took a while before I could get there. When we got there, we were told the case is now with the state.”
Unable to hold her tears, she wailed, “I have no one since their father died. I solely took care of them. Who will help me now? My son was not troublesome.”
The use of motorcycles, popularly known in Ghanaian parlance as Okada, for transport business is rampant in the Ayensuano district and three other linking districts due to the deplorable nature of some roads.
A well-known serial caller who goes by the moniker “Bashy,” has come forward to share his recent prayer on a live radio broadcast. The 40-year-old individual expressed his fervent desire for a by-election to take place in the Odotobri Constituency.
The Amansie Central District Police Command arrested Bashy after a report was lodged by Member of Parliament for the Odotobri Constituency in the Ashanti Region.
Bashy had on Dompeace Radio urged the people of Odotobri Constituency to pray to God because the area is in dire need of development and that could only happen if there is a by-election.
He was subsequently picked by the police and later released and asked to report to at a specific date.
In an interview after his release, he explained that his motive was never to wish death on the MP.
“I will never threaten to kill the Member of Parliament for Odotobri Constituency so I wonder why he (MP for Odotobri) told police to arrest me.
“If by-elections will bring development to Odotobri Constituency then I believe that Odotobri Constituency needs it because the lack of development in the constituency has affected the youth of the constituency.
“After the police granted me bail, they said I should report myself on Tuesday because MP went to Accra immediately the police arrested me so he will come back on Tuesday,” he revealed.
The Programs Manager for Dompeace Radio Ebenezer Boakye speaking on AMBASSADOR TV explained the circumstances under which the man was arrested.
“The Member of Parliament for Odotobri Constituency Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi ordered for the arrest of Bashy after he made a comment on radio that Odotobri Constituency needs a by-election for development”
“I went to the police station when I heard the news and I was told that the MP Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi has accused Bashy of threatening to kill him on Dompeace Radio Morning Show to pave the way for a by-election which wasn’t true” Ebenezer Boakye told Osei Kwadwo.
“I was ordered by the police to provide the audio of the comment made by Bashy so as a Programs Manager for Dompeace Radio, I have given the police the audio recording. Ambassador, I’m part of the Morning Show production team and we all know the ethics of journalism so my host will never allow someone to threaten the MP or anyone on live radio” he explained.
An Accra High Court has given various sentences to six members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF), a secessionist organisation in Ghana.
WTRF is part of a splinter organisation from the Homeland Study Group Foundation, whose objective is to secede from Ghana.
Kwame Tornyeveadzi was sentenced to six years imprisonment on the charge of stealing an AK47 rifle belonging to the Ghana Police at Aveyime in the Volta region on September 25, 2020.
Five other accomplices were sentenced to four years imprisonment each by the court presided over by Mrs Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh.
The six were variously charged with 19 counts of attending meetings of a prohibited organisation, participating in a campaign of a prohibited organisation, making contributions for the benefit of a prohibited organisation and being members of a prohibited organisation.
The court earlier found them guilty of the charges and convicted them but deferred their sentences.
The court said it considered the fact that they were first-time offenders and the time they had spent in custody.
It, however, took a serious view of the charge of stealing and the attacks launched by some of their followers on a police station.
In his plea for mitigation, Mr Chris Ackumey, counsel for the convicts, prayed the court to deal leniently with his client because they had been in custody for the past two years and seven months.
Mr Ackumey said the convicts were only desirous of finding the history of where they came from.
“They were in search of knowledge, unfortunately, our quest for knowledge has landed us where we are now. They have no intention of falling foul of the law.
“We found ourselves in the circumstances beyond our control and same had landed us where were are.”
The defence counsel told the court that his clients while in custody, had suffered emotionally, physically, spiritually and had also displayed remorse during the trial.
“Given the chance, we would not commit the mess again. Consider the trauma and suffering we have gone through,” he added.
Mr Joshua Sackey, a Senior Attorney for the Republic prayed the court to hand down deterrent sentences and fines on the convicts to serve as a warning to other like-minded persons.
According to him, the convicts had not shown any remorse.
He rejected the assertion by defence counsel that the convicts wanted to learn their history.
The Attorney said evidence before the court proved otherwise.
The National Security Council, based on intelligence, arrested members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front, who on September 25, 2020, blocked roads at Juapong and Sogakope and set fire to two STC buses.
The prosecution said on the same day, the group also attacked the Aveyime and Mepe Police Stations, freed inmates in the cells, locked up policemen on duty, took arms and ammunition from the armory of the polices’ and bolted.
The convicts were arrested for being members of the WTRF and their various roles in the Group’s activities such as attending meetings, contributing funds and receipt of funds for running the Organisation.
Community Concerns and Care Foundation-Ghana (CCCF-Gh) and other five civil society organizations have called on chiefs and opinion leaders to collaborate with the police to help prevent drug peddling in their communities.
They said this would go a long way to protect the youth from engaging in the use of drugs and other substances that could lead to destroying their future, becoming a liability to their families, and a threat to society.
The other organizations are DJtv, Chief Jihad Media, Foundation for Islamic Welfare, Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), and the Institute of Leadership and Development.
The organizations made the call when they, the chiefs, opinion leaders, and the people of Nima Hot Coffee in Accra joined the world to observe the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The Day has been set aside by the UN to be observed annually around the globe on 26th June, to create awareness of the dangers of drug and substance use. This year’s theme was: “People First, Stop Stigma and Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention.”
Fred Agbobli, the Deputy Executive Director of CCCF-Gh in a welcoming address said on the 7th of December 1987, the UN General Assembly, by Resolution 42/112, decided to set aside the Day.
“This UN decision was an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.
“It was this laudable and noble determination, that gave birth to the CCF-Gh as a stakeholder institution, to join the global action to beat down the drug-abuse menace, having seen its debilitating social ramifications on our future human resource capital and society at large,” he stated.
Ahmed Abubakar in a message read on behalf of VALD said among the goals of the organisation was to advocate against the consumption and use of unhealthy commodities such as tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs (forbidden by law), and narcotic substances.
“We at VALD are therefore very pleased to be associated with today’s program, which has been organized to observe the Day,” he stated.
He said the world drug problem was a complex issue that affected millions of people worldwide, stating; “Many people who use drugs face stigma and discrimination, which can further harm their physical and mental health and prevent them from accessing the help they need.”
Abubakar explained; “This year’s theme is therefore meant to encourage all and sundry to welcome our brothers and sisters who are unfortunate to be using illicit drugs with open arms, to treat them with respect, compassion, and empathy, in order that we may give them the necessary help they may need.”
He said the campaign for this year was also aimed to combat stigma and discrimination against people who use drugs by promoting language and attitudes that were respectful and non-judgemental.
An inspector with the Ghana Police Service, who has been accused of shooting his girlfriend multiple times at Adum, in Kumasi, has been charged with murder.
Inspector Ahmed Twumasi of the Kumasi Central Divisional Command has been on provisional murder charges following his arrest at Oyoko near Effiduase a month ago.
The married inspector who was keeping a girlfriend, made his second court appearance in a month to a hostile court made up of relatives and friends of his late girlfriend, Victoria Dapaah.
They openly cast aspersions and threatened to ‘deal’ with the accused.
This compelled the police to subject all those seated in the courtroom to a search.
Lead Prosecutor, ACP Kofi Blagodzi told the court, presided by His Worship Buabin Quansah, that the A-G’s advice paves the way for a bill of Indictment to be followed by committal proceedings that will commit the accused person to a trial at the High Court.
According to him, the commitment and sole effort of the A-G in Kumasi to expeditiously advise on the case must be commended.
He reiterated the police administration’s resolve to work speedily to bring finality to the case, hence the seriousness attached to it.
Aggrieved mother of L/Cpl Michael Adamtey Odonkor, bodyguard of former Inspector General of Police (IGP), John Kudalor, is seeking closure on her son’s issue.
Mr Odonkor went missing fourteen years ago. His mother has appealed to the Ghana Police Service to issue a formal report on the matter.
According to Elizabeth Teiko Odonkor, aged 69, the declaration of the status of her son, if dead or alive, will enable the family to perform the necessary customary rites.
In an interview with The Chronicle, Madam Odonkor said a finality on the issue is long overdue.
Manye (Queen Mother), as she is called, said the family can only move on when the truth comes out,
“Without the police telling me anything, I feel incomplete, especially now that his father also died six years ago,” she added.
Background
Number 38222 L/Cpl Michael Odonkor Adamptey, bodyguard of then Director General of Police Operations and later the Inspector General of Police (IGP), John Kudalor, in the morning of the 22nd of September 2009, mysteriously disappeared from the Tema Newtown police barracks and has since not been seen.
Years later, in 2011, excavation for a planned construction in Tema Newtown resulted in the exhumation of human parts believed to be the remains of the disappeared bodyguard.
The said remains were sent to the Police Crime Laboratory for tests to ascertain whose remains were excavated.
Upon request by the FSL, the parents of the missing policeman were transported from Opesika in the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly to the facility, where the required blood samples were obtained for the DNA process to commence.
However, the said scientific analysis could not be undertaken due to the non-availability of the required reagents to run the test. It could, however, be done outside the country.
Since then, and even though the installation is well-resourced now to conduct the DNA tests, the much-needed report by the laboratory on the bones has not been out for the investigators to arrive at a conclusion.
The North East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Moses Ali Kperchin, has passed on at the Police Hospital in Accra.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Moses Ali Kperchin fell sick about two weeks ago and was taken to the Tamale Teaching Hospital but was later referred to Police Hospital for further treatment in Accra.
He was responding to treatment at the police hospital until his demise on May 11, 2023.
Officials at the regional police headquarters in Nalerigu confirmed the incident to GhanaWeb.
The mortal remains of DCOP Moses Ali Kperchin has been deposited at the hospital for preservation.
A police officer at the center of a murder case in Adum, Kumasi has been declared wanted by the Ghana Police Service.
Inspector Ahmed Twumasi is being sought over the alleged murder of a 26-year-old mother of one Maa Adwoa at Adum in the Ashanti region.
The police officer, popularly known as Tycoon, is stationed in Manhyia Palace among Palace security.
Mr. Twumasi has been identified as the suspect who murdered a 26-year-old mother of one Maa Adwoa on Thursday 20th April 2023 at Adum in front of Dufie Towers in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi.
The police Inspector is also a member of the Ashanti regional police command’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit.
He allegedly shot his girlfriend (side chick) five times according to police sources over cheating which is closely associated with the deceased.
The deceased, according to a close friend, became furious and broke up with Twumasi Ahmed, the police officer.
The police officer now at large then asked her to forget the issue and begged her to reconsider the breakup decision.
While trying to reconcile with the lady without any sign of progress the suspect then, allegedly, pulled a sidearm and shot her five times until she bled and passed on.
Police sources in Kumasi say their colleague at the moment is at large and they are doing everything to arrest him to assist in investigations.
Other sources from Manhyia Palace also disclosed the suspect after committing the alleged crime, allegedly called a driver in the Palace known as (4040) and briefed him of a crime he has committed on Thursday evening and also served him notice of going to commit suicide.
The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has apprehended the prime suspect in the viral video of a gang abusing police officers at a galamsey site at Axim in the Western Region.
Kwame Ato Asare Ani, aged 21, was arrested together with two other suspects; Williams Kwofie aged 17 and Emmanuel Kojo Bronie aged 17.
The three suspects were arrested at Boinso, a community near Enchi in the Western North Region.
Kwame Ato Asare Ani was declared wanted after a video of him together with some illegal miners molesting a police officer at a galamsey site to the point where the police officer knelt down to apologise went viral. The police declared him wanted after he went into hiding.
A member of the Boinso community identified the suspects at a drinking spot in the community on Friday morning April 21, 2023 and quickly informed the police who went to the spot to arrest them.
The three suspects were interrogated by the Enchi Divisional commander about the video which was circulating on the social platforms indicating their involvement in molesting the Police on site at Axim and they confirmed that they were the people who attacked the Policemen in the video over some monetary issues.
A search conducted on them revealed the following items; two talisman, one task bar, twenty pieces of rings, two store keys, one power bank, one Alcatel mobile phone, one Samsung mobile phone,a sponge, toilet soap, one phone battery, one phone charger and cash sum of one thousand two hundred and eleven Ghana cedis (GHC1,211.00).
The suspects have been placed in custody awaiting the arrival of the Axim Police for collection and necessary action as they have been informed accordingly through the WNR Commander.
Meanwhile, one of the suspects absconded and he is being pursued by the Police. An ex-convict who was harbouring them has also been arrested.
Eight prisoners have reportedly escaped from jail at Nkwanta South.
Police officers at the Nkwanta South Divisional Police Station of the Oti Region are under pressure after the incident.
Information gathered by Adom News suggests that, the incident occurred at about 10:30 pm on Tuesday when a female police officer on duty was about to lock the cells.
According to reports, the suspects forcibly pushed the gate on the officer and fled.
Police in Nkwanta South have confirmed the incident but have refused to give further details.
Retired Superintendent of Police, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has described as smart a police officer seen in a viral video pleading with a civilian during a standoff in a forest in Axim.
Amid some public criticisms of the act, the former senior police officer said the officer in the video acted smart by kneeling to plead with the man who has been identified as the leader of a robbery gang in the Axim area.
“One person I would really applaud is the police officer who knelt down to beg in the video. Kwame Asare is claiming that he took money from him and was attempting to arrest him after that. As to whether the officer indeed took money or not that has been referred to the Police Professional Standards Bureau and that is to be determined,” he said.
Mr Toobu who was speaking in an interview with Neat FM monitored by GhanaWeb emphasised that the job of policing can put one in an instance where pulling a trigger to defend oneself is not an ideal solution.
“One thing about the police job is the fact that being in the uniform and wielding a gun does not make you all conquering. There are instances where even though the gun is fully loaded you will not have the braveness to pull the trigger. The one thing that gives you that braveness to shoot and kill a human is when you are doing the right thing but if you find yourself in a difficult situation where shooting can even cause a mob to attack you, use your common sense. When I saw the officer holding the gun and kneeling to beg I said he was smart,” he stated.
The viral video in question shows a gang of men confronting a group of police officers for purportedly seeking to arrest their leader.
Identified in a statement later released by the police as Kwame Ani Asare, the gang leader accused the police officers of seeking to arrest him after paying them a bribe.
Amidst threats, one of the officers is seen in the video going on his knees to plead with the gang leader.
The Ghana Police Service said it received a report on March 28, 2023, that a group of officers from the Axim Police Command had been attacked by the gang in question.
The police stated that it conducted an operation which has led to the arrest of four members of the gang while the leader, Kwame Ani remains at large and on their wanted list.
However speaking to some media houses from a hideout, the gang leader said he was no robber but an informant who has been collecting money from small scale miners and delivering to the police.
According to him, the attempt by the police to arrest him is on the back of his refusal to hand over some GH ₵100,000.00 he had collected from a galamsey site to the police.
He noted that the refusal to hand over the money is a result of the police cheating him out in various previous deals.
But speaking in the interview with Neat FM, Peter Toobu Lenchene who is now the Member of Parliament for Wa West maintained that the officer was smart in begging the gang members.
“When you look at the environment, they were surrounded by guys who are into galamsey and I always say that galamsey is a violent business. You can go and never return; the pit can swallow you up and so people who are into galamsey do not fear guns or death,” he stated.
“Don’t ever play a hero if you find yourself in a situation where your strength and knowledge cannot help you. That is a very smart to do and proves that you are a better security person,” the MP added.
Three men have been arrested by the Ghana Police Service (GPS) for brandishing weapons without lawful authority and acts of vigilantism at Japa near Wassa Akropong in the Western Region.
The three suspects, Godfred Appiah alias Nana Kobina Gyan, Isaac Amoako alias Nana Owusu and Theophilus Yeboah alias fire were arrested following an investigation into a viral video on social media in which one person was seen shooting at another and threatening violence.
The arrest was however made on March 27, 2023.
According to the Police, the intelligence-led operation initially led to the arrest of the prime suspect, Godfred Appiah who was seen in the video firing the weapon.
Further Police investigation led to the arrest of suspects Theophilus Yeboah and Isaac Amoako, who the investigation revealed as the owner and supplier of the said weapon.
“A search conducted at the residence of suspect Isaac Amoako led to the retrieval of four pump action shotguns including 24 AAA-refilled cartridges. However, he could not produce documents to cover three of the weapons,” the statement added.
The statement noted that suspects were put before the Tarkwa Circuit Court today, Wednesday 29th March 2023, and have been remanded into custody to re-appear on 6th April 2023.
Meanwhile, efforts are currently underway to get other accomplices in connection with the case arrested to face justice.
Police in Mamprobi have arrested three unscrupulous persons involved in cocoa smuggling.
The arrest was part of an operation to clampdown on people engaged in the activity.
According to police authorities at Mamprobi, on the night of March 6, while Ghanaians were engaged in several legally sanctioned activities to commemorate Ghana’s 66th birthday after colonial rule, some nation wreckers decided to take advantage of the celebrant mood of everyone to a engage in illegal operation to the detriment of our country’s economy.
These enemies of the state thus, chose the Laterbiokorshie cluster of schools as a conducive site to re-bag truck loads of over 600 bags of cocoa beans from Ghana COCOBOD sacks into fertilizer sacks earmarked to be smuggled out into neighboring Togo.
Based on a tip off born out of a well laid down intelligence in the district, the commander of the Mamprobi Police, Chief Superintendent Alfred Kudah led an able team under his control to the site and successfully, arrested 3 people involved in the Unlawful act, impounded the truck used for the operation and then handed the cocoa over to Ghana COCOBOD for preservation.
On 9 March 2023, the detective in charge, Chief Inspector Baba Naporo Issifu, arraigned the accused persons before the Accra Circuit Court 6, where they were granted bail pending trial. The other accomplices on the run are being pursued to be put before court.
In recent times, the Mamprobi Police District has proven to be among the leading Police Districts in the country to be relied on in terms of crime combat. Chief Superintendent Alfred Kudah since his assumption of duty as commander, has played an instrumental role in ensuring this.
He has been behind several successful stories chalked in the area regarding combating crime. He has ensured the arrest and prosecution of notorious land guards, armed robbers and narcotic drug peddlers.
The Director General in charge of Public Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General Eric Aggrey Quarshie, has clarified why the military stormed Ashaiman to conduct a raid after the murder of a soldier, Sherrif Imoro.
According to him, the decision to raid Ashaiman was taken because of a number of activities that had taken place in the area.
Brigadier General Quarshie, who made these remarks at the Annual General Meeting and National Public Relations and Communication Summit, added that some communities in Ashaiman had become so notorious that the Ghana Police Service (GPS) would not venture to arrest criminals there.
“Whatever happened in Ashaiman was not something [that] somebody woke up one morning and said, let us go to Ashaiman. So many things had taken place, and our soldier’s death became like the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Ashaiman is a place where there are certain sections that even the police cannot go and effect arrests; they won’t dare. Somebody commits a crime, and you can’t go there or even arrest the person, and so we were tracking certain events,” he said.
The March 7 military swoop
Dozens of military officers stormed Ashaiman in the operation that saw some soldiers entering the town in trucks, with an armoured car plus a helicopter hovering over the town.
The exercise is said to be in response to the gruesome murder of a young soldier, Trooper Sherrif Imoro, by some unidentified persons on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Videos of the invasion shared across social media show various forms of assault being meted on residents by the rampaging officers who subjected some of the residents to severe beatings.
In a statement released in the early hours of March 8, the Ghana Armed Forces admitted authorizing the swoop, which led to the arrest of 184 people as well as the seizure of suspected illegal drugs.
In the said statement, they also acknowledged excesses may have resulted in the swoop but failed to apologize for or commit to conducting a probe on same.
All suspects have since been released without charge, while the police have arrested six people for their alleged roles in the death of Sherrif Imoro.
The Police Council, presided over by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has received complaints from several aggrieved Ghana Police Service (GPS) members regarding their promotions.
According to the officers, although they have met the requirements in the Policy Guidelines of the Service and have been granted study leave for higher academic credentials, they are yet to receive their promotions.
The officers filed their petition through lawyer Joseph Ayikoi Otoo.
The petitioners claim several attempts to have their concerns addressed through petitions sent to the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, haven’t received the desired attention.
The IGP recently speaking at a durbar with police officers in the Bono Region, noted that the police administration under his watch has been committed to rewarding hard work, performance and dedication.
According to him, his administration is ensuring that officers are promoted on merit and not necessarily on academic achievements.
“For this whole idea that we are the people who know our rights and that, why is this person promoted and not promoted while the laws are there? It means you don’t read – go and read your CI.
“What you should know is that something that has never happened before has happened on our watch and that type of promotion that is done probably to some few people at headquarters and others, we changed it… the Commanders they know the people who are killing themselves for this job, identify them as long as they are two years in their rank, we will promote them,” the IGP said.
But laywer Ayikoi Otoo in his petition to the Police Council said despite the existence of Regulation 37(7) of C.I. 76 “all officers on Study Leave With Pay who graduate are by reason of having obtained higher academic qualifications given ‘Academic Promotions’ with an entry into the Police College.”
Read the full petition below:
The Chairman, Police Service Council, Accra. PETITION FOR REDRESS
THE HUMBLE PETITION which I present on behalf of your Petitioners SHOWETH; 1.THAT all your Petitioners whose names are captured in the attached list are Police Officers and serving in various capacities in the Ghana Police Service throughout Ghana.
2.That it is common knowledge that the Police Service has Policy Guidelines amongst which is a provision for grant of Study Leave with pay to deserving officers who apply to enable them to improve their academic capabilities and competencies by acquiring higher academic qualifications.
3.All Your Petitioners applied for the 2017/2018 Academic Year Study Leave with Pay programme for Tertiary Courses ranging between two(2) to four (4) years.They qualified and were made to enter into a Bond to serve the Police Service upon completion of their various courses for at least Five (5) years.
4.Each and every Petitioner entered into the requisite Bond upon condition that the Bond would be estreated when breached.
5.Your Petitioners were then granted the Study Leave with Pay upon a further conditions that during periods of vacation they will return to perform their duties but disqualified from writing any promotion examination during the period in School as well as from enjoying any increment in their salaries.
6.Your Petitioners were also reminded of Regulation 37(7) of the Police Service Regulations C.I.76 which in any case has routinely appeared in all Letters approving Study Leave with Pay as a policy save that it has by the time the approval was granted them become a regulation.
7.Upon successful completion of their studies,Your Petitioners were awarded Degrees and other Professional qualifications as appropriate.
8.Your Petitioners in accordance with laid down procedures, wrote to the Police Service Administration and attached their Certificates and applied for “upgrade” which is understood to mean “Academic Promotions” individually, but in response they were all congratulated on their achievements but the Administration remained silent on their promotions except that those qualified for administrative promotions got them not academic promotions.
9.In the absence of any other explanation from the Police Administration for the delay in a response to their Applications for “Upgrade”,Your Petitioners decided to come together as a group describing themselves as “Personnel On Study Leave With Pay”and sent a Petition dated 6th September 2021 in substance appealing to the Police Administration through the current IGP then in an Ag capacity “to have a second look at Regulation 37(7) of C.I. 76, its interpretation,implementation and effects in the Service ”,BELIEVING THAT MIGHT BE THE STUMBLING BLOCK.
10.When they did not hear from the Police Administration, they sent a reminder and then In December 2021,Your Petitioners received a response to their Petition which only directed that they should channel their Petition through their respective chain of command as required by Service Instructions (S.I.)45.
11.On the face of the response which was terse,it did not reject the Application for “Upgrade”but the attitude of the Police Administration of asking each Applicant to apply individually through their respective chain of command,when they have a common concern,conveyed to them an unwillingness on the part of the Administration to address their “Academic Promotions” issue and it is against that background that they have approached me to send this Petition on their behalf.
12. From the mass of evidence before me,it cannot be denied neither can it be concealed that what appears as Regulation 37(7) of C.I. 76 is not a new provision but a Policy the Administration has been familiar with for several years as part of Policy Guidelines on Study Leave with Pay.All successful Applicants in the past have been reminded of that Policy.
13.Be that as it may,Your Petitioners say that inspite of the existence of that policy, all officers on Study Leave With Pay who graduate are by reason of having obtained higher academic qualification given “Academic Promotions” with an entry into the Police College.
14.I wish to submit on behalf of your Petitioners that looking at regulation 37(7) of C.I.76,it vests the Police Administration with a discretion just as when it was contained in the Policy Guidelines and requires a broad liberal and purposive interpretation so as to take into consideration the history of the provision and the goal of the Police Administration in awarding Study Leave with Pay to successful candidates for the benefit of the Service.
15.Your Petitioners recall that in the Study Leave For 2011/2012 Academic Year Approval Circular with reference No SO/G 4/33C/V 5/243 dated 19th December,2011, Police Administration added the following;”However the Administration wishes to announce further,the temporary suspension of provisions of the Policy Guidelines on”Academic Achievements while on the Job”and that certificates acquired from the courses pursue(sic) MAY NOT NECESSARILY ATTRACT PROMOTIONS.
16.Notwithstanding the Suspension of “Academic Achievements”as stated supra, the available evidence shows that all graduates of the 2011/2012 Academic Year were promoted and sent to Police College.
17.It ought to be stressed on behalf of Petitioners that a promotion is a right that a worker earns from an employer and it is usually provided for in Conditions of Service or Senior Service Regulations.Conditions for promotions in the Police Service are provided for under Regulation 37 of Police Service Regulations C.I.76.
18.In broad terms promotions are made by the Police Appointments and Promotions Board and the Police Council based on recommendations by Assessment Committees. The limited procedure which can be gathered from that Regulation is that Candidates for promotion may be recommended after they have passed a Promotion examination;or having regard to seniority and length of service served,subject to satisfactory performance assessment of good conduct or by special recommendations based upon meritorious acts of bravery or valour in the prevention of crime or outstanding performance of duty or on a recommendation of the Police Appointment and Promotion Advisory Board; a Senior Officer under whom the officer serves taking into consideration:integrity and good conduct;efficiency, attitude towards work and sense of responsibility; experience and capacity for cooperation with other officers;ability to offer leadership;seniority and whether the officer has served the required number of years in the relevant post; or upon completion of not less than four years satisfactory service subject to availability of vacancy
19.The last criterion is contained in Regulation 37(7) of C.I. 76 which I intend to set out herein in extenso for full effect; “An officer who attains higher academic qualification is not entitled to promotion by reason only of that academic qualification”.
20.A literal interpretation of the sub regulation in my opinion means that though a criterion of promotion in the Police Service is by attainment of higher academic qualification while on the job, the the Police Appointments and Appointments Board and the Police Council can take other factors into consideration apart from the academic qualification.
21.It is submitted on behalf of the Your Petitioners that the sub regulation under reference ie 37(7) vests the Police Administration with discretion to use higher academic qualification in addition to other criteria for promotion.This is because if the draftsman intended to absolutely prohibit that mode of promotion,he would not have lacked the language to use such as the mandatory “shall” instead the verb “is”.
22.Thus by choosing the verb “is” coupled with the phrase” “by reason only” the interpretation will be that attainment of higher academic qualification is very much a factor for promotion which the Police Service Promotions and Appointments Board and Police Council can take into consideration for purposes of promotion albeit not the only criterion.
23.It follows therefore that the onus is on the Police Service Appointments and Promotions Board and the Police Council to demonstrate to the Petitioners that though they have met the criterion of achieving higher academic qualification,for some other reason/s they do not qualify to be promoted which can happen only when they receive responses to their requests for academic promotions.
24.Inspite of the fact that they are yet to receive any official responses the Petitioners have no reason to doubt that they are all qualified for promotion even if other criteria are taken into consideration and are therefore at a complete loss at the treatment being meted out to them by the Police Administration.
25.Thus Your Petitioners can say with all the emphasis at their command that it has never happened that graduates who enjoyed Study Leave with Pay were denied opportunity of academic promotions.That being the case it can be deduced that the Police Administration has acquiesced and had allowed all graduates to proceed to the Police College in accordance with exercise of their discretion.
26.It was that conduct on the part of the Police Administration which led Your Petitioners to also have a legitimate reasonable expectations that having successfully graduated they will benefit from academic promotions, which unfortunately has proven elusive so far.
27.Thus to deny Your Petitioners the opportunity now will smack of arbitrariness, capriciousness or bias either by resentment,prejudice or personal dislike towards Your Petitioners.
28.Happily the Police Administration has not responded to say Your Petitioners have been denied academic promotions due to Regulation 37(7) of C.I.76. Further, the Guidelines for Promotions expected to be published in the Service Instructions(S.I.) provided for under Regulation 37(8) to regulate promotions in the Police Service have not yet been published and therefore it appears the doors are not shut against Your Petitioners.
29.In the circumstances,I hereby present this Petition on behalf of Your Petitioners humbly praying that the Police Administration opens the doors to Your Petitioners to enable them enjoy the fruits of their labour by allowing them to enter the Police College. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED.
Hon J. Ayikoi Otoo For and on behalf of PETITIONERS
The Ghana Police Service is on a manhunt for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth organiser in Suame Constituency over some comments he made.
This follows the publication of a viral video in which the said official is seen inciting members of the party to engage in violence to win power.
“The attention of the Police Service has been drawn to a viral video in which a person who identifies himself as the Youth Organiser for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Suame Constituency of the Ashanti Region calls on supporters of the NDC to attack persons of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run-up to the 2024 General Elections.
“The Ashanti Regional Police Command has initiated steps to get this person arrested to face justice,” the police said in a statement.
The police further entreated political actors to be circumspect in their utterances and actions to safeguard national peace and security.
Youth organiser incites party members
The now wanted man was captured on tape making inciteful comments with respect to the 2024 general elections.
Speaking to a journalist on the sidelines on what looked like a party event, the man charged members of the NDC not to hesitate to shed blood if it is what it will take to win power.
“As journalists, you were witnesses to a situation where people were shot and killed in the 2020 elections. So standing here today, I am to make sure that no NPP member can come and kill me.
“So we are in and I will advise every true NDC member that in the 2024 elections when it becomes necessary to kill someone to win, kill them; even if it requires that you shoot someone or club them to win us power do it,” he told a journalist with Oyerepa FM.
The 2020 elections albeit largely peaceful, saw pockets of violence which led to the death of about 8 persons.
According to the opposition NDC, the New Patriotic Party through state security and vigilantes used violence at various polling stations to rig the election.
However, the NDC has said that things will be different in the 2024 elections as it will go into the polls more prepared to ward off any such incidents.
As part of measures to maintain law and order and curtail crime in the Kokompe Industrial area and its environs, the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly will construct a Police Post in the area.
In recent times, according to the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Abdul Issah Mumin, the area had witnessed a surge in crime and other nefarious attitudes making life and living in that zone, a challenging experience
The Assembly, as a first sign of commitment to combat crime in the area, has distributed 120 streetlights to the various sectional heads among the artisans to be placed in designated areas within the enclave to lighten up the area.
Another matter of concern, was the growth in the “Sodom and Gomorrah” business which according to the MCE was also fuelling crime in that area.
He said the Assembly, would initiate a process of demolition exercise of unauthorised structures housing such miscreants in the area.
Mr Mumin said: “We have been made aware of how intruders are making lives unbearable here…and as an assembly, we are also prepared to beef up security to ensure that businesses operate in a peaceful environment.”
Mr Justin Joe Ayittey, the Regional Chairman of the Garages Association said the activities of intruders and thieves in the area was making cost of doing business a hard one.
He queried: “How can I charge small money and later buy an item to the tune of 1000 plus because someone had come to steal it?”
He was therefore excited about the police post and prayed that it would be established on time to curb stealing in the area.
Mr Ayittey added that the Association was prepared to help in identifying all unauthorised structures which had become a haven for criminal activities.
Nana Asempanaye, the Director of the Takoradi SubMetro encouraged owners of businesses in the area to promptly pay their tolls and fees to enable the assembly to also meet their needs.
The Ghana Police Service has arrested at least 34 women in the Tema Metropolitan Assembly of the Greater Accra Region for engaging in prostitution.
According to a report by myjoyonline.com, the arrests were made after complaints by residents of the metropolis about prostitutes parading their streets at night looking for clients.
The report indicated that the police conducted an intelligence-led operation to arrest the suspected prostitutes.
It added that preliminary investigations by the police showed that the women stand at street corners and use gestures to obtain clients for prostitution.
The suspects, who were arrested at different places in the Tema metropolis including Subon Valley at Community Seven 7, Sabrina Hotel area at Site 17 Community 1 and Viena City and Datus area both in Community 8, included Ghanaians, Liberians and Nigerians.
The report further indicated that the suspects were charged with prostitution and were arraigned before court.
The court granted each of the accused persons a bail amounting to the sum of GHC5,000 with two sureties.
The case has been adjourned to March 15, 2023, where the suspects are expected to reappear in court.
In the said video, which has been making rounds on the internet, the unidentified man ruthlessly flogged the baby, while he helplessly cried in the video.
The ‘barbaric’ nature of the abuse has since sparked fury among social media users who have drawn the attention of the police.
Sonnie Badu, who also seems disgusted by the act, has waded into this conversation.
The US-based Ghanaian pastor has called for the arrest of all persons involved, including those who sat aloof and watched the incident happen.
“I can’t play the full video as I’m already full of tears. Please arrest all three men! The one abusing the child, the one videoing it, and the one sitting down,” he wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, the police have responded to the several calls while stating that efforts are underway to track down the individual involved, have him arrested, and rescue the child.
The institution has also announced a reward of GH₵2,000 for anyone who is able to provide credible information that could lead to the arrest of the male adult involved in the act.
In the Ashanti Region’s Ejisu, a suburb of Kumasi, the Ghana Police Service has arrested 21 foreign nationals as part of its ‘See Something, Say Something’ anti-terrorism programme.
According to graphic.com.gh, the 21 suspects were arrested after they were reported by community leaders for exhibiting abnormal behaviors.
The report indicated that the community leaders in Ejisu reported the suspects to the police after they observed their suspicious activities for about a month.
One of the community leaders, Mohammed Ali, said that they reported the 21 foreign nationals because they were of the conviction that they were a security threat because of their actions.
“For several times, I entered and asked them, what are they doing? They said that they were learning. In the evening, you see them making phone calls, different phone calls, everybody making a phone call.
“Maybe they are trying to convince someone or I don’t know, so that is what they have been doing around here,” Ali is quoted to have said by graphic.com.gh.
Neither the Ghana Police Service nor the National Security has commented on the arrest yet.
The National Security Ministry, in May 2022, launched a Citizen Education Campaign, dubbed ‘See Something, Say Something, to help raise awareness and alertness on a possible terrorist attack in Ghana.
The campaign seeks to educate the citizenry to report any suspicious activities related to terrorism to the security agencies and it forms part of efforts to help deal with the terrorist threat in the West African sub-region.
This information was found in a statement the Upper West Regional Police Command released.
The unidentified body was found by the special purpose intelligence and investigation team on Monday, September 19, 2022, according to the details.
The body has since been retrieved and deposited at the Regional Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy by a pathologist from the police hospital and a team of experts in Accra.
In five months, ten lives have been lost in bizarre circumstances to ‘serial killers’ in the region.
Last Friday, some residents showed up in their numbers at the Technical Institute to protest the security situation in Wa.
Only three bodies have been found out of the ten people who have lost their lives.
The police has meanwhile placed a 100K bounty for information on the killings.
In a statement, the police said, “We continue to urge anyone with credible information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators to come forward and share with the Police. In line with this, a reward of GHC100,000 has been set aside for anyone who provides information in that regard”.
“The police continue to maintain law, order, and security in the Wa municipality and surrounding communities,” the statement issued on Monday, September 19, 2022, said.
“We wish to assure residents of the Wa municipality and its environs that the special intelligence and investigation teams will continue to work around the clock with assistance from the affected communities to bring the perpetrators to face justice. Operations and combat teams have also saturated the area to ensure safety and security,” the statement added.
For anyone who gives information that results in thearrest of persons connected to the recent killings and disappearances of people in the Wa in the Upper West region, the Ghana Police Service has offered a reward of GHC100,000.00.
Since the murders of private security officers, Wa residents have spent the last five months in fear.
Ten lives have been lost in strange circumstances by “serial killers” in the area in the last five months.
Last Friday, some residents showed up in their numbers at the Technical Institute to protest the security situation in Wa.
Only three bodies have been found out of the ten people who have lost their lives. In a statement, the police said, “We continue to urge anyone with credible information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators to come forward and share with the Police. In line with this, a reward of GHC100,000 has been set aside for anyone who provides information in that regard”.
On Monday, the police released a statement assuring the residents they are working hard to bring the perpetrators to book.
“The police continue to maintain law, order, and security in the Wa municipality and surrounding communities,” the statement issued on Monday, September 19, 2022 said.
“We wish to assure residents of the Wa municipality and its environs that the special intelligence and investigation teams will continue to work around the clock with assistance from the affected communities to bring the perpetrators to face justice. Operations and combat teams have also saturated the area to ensure safety and security,” the statement added.
Two teenage drivers who failed to exercise due care with their vehicles colliding, causing damage to another vehicle, have been fined GHC 7,200 by an Adentan Circuit Court.
Forson Prince Gyasi and Isaac Obeng Omari, both 19 years, will pay GHC3,600 each, in default, serve six months’Â imprisonment each.
They are also to pay GHC30,000 each to Bismark Larbi, the owner of the vehicle that was damaged, the court presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah, has ordered.
This was after the accused persons pleaded guilty to the charges of careless and inconsiderate driving and causing unlawful damage.
Narrating the facts of the case, Chief Inspector Jacob Nyarko said on March 7, this year at about 1:00am, Gyasi and Omari were driving Honda Civic Saloon car with trade plate number DV384F-2022 and Hyundai Avante Saloon car with Trade plate number DV 6811G-2022 respectively.
Chief Inspector Nyarko said the accused persons were driving from Madina towards Ayi-Mensah.
According to the prosecutor, the accused persons on reaching a section of the road at Oyarifa township near a Police Snap Check Point, failed to exercise due care and attention to other road users.
As a result, Prosecution said, Gyasi hit Omari’s car and Omari lost control of the steering wheel and ran into the rear portion of a Toyota Yaris private car with registration number GS 4471-18 that was in front of him.
The prosecution said the Toyota Yaris, which was then driven by one Larbi Bismark, was also damaged.
It said the damaged vehicles were towed to the Ayi-Mensah MTTD for further investigations.
A latest survey conducted by the Ghana Statistical Servicewith other stakeholders in the fight against corruption has ranked the Ghana Police Service as the most corrupt institution among 23 other institutions sampled.
This was revealed in research dubbed; corruption in Ghana, Peoples Experiences and View.
The aim of the survey is to unearth corrupt institutions and make available data that will guide the formulation of policies that will look at nipping corruption in the bud.
The survey indicated that more than 17.4 million bribes were paid in 2021 with police officers topping the list of officials who take bribes at 53.2%.
The Ghana Immigration Service Officersand GRA customs officers come next, at 37.4% and 33.6% respectively, while elected government representatives are at the bottom of the list at 2.9%.
According to the survey, people with the highest level of (tertiary) education were 1.6 times more likely to have paid a bribe than people with no formal education.
Also, ten out of the 16 administrative regions recorded a prevalence of bribery higher than the national average.
There are, however, sizable variations across the 16 regions of the country.
The prevalence of bribery in the Bono East, Savannah and Volta regions, for example, is substantially lower than the national rate, at 11.8, 14.5 and 19.1 per cent, respectively.
Also in the Western North, Ahafo and North East regions, bribery is substantially higher, at 53.4, 47.0 and 41.9 per cent, respectively.
An Accra Circuit court hearing the case involving six policemen accused of involvement in bullion van in Accra has threatened to strike out the case if the prosecution fails to file its witness statements in compliance with the law.
When the case was called last Wednesday, the substantive prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) Sylvester Asare, was absent because he was bereaved, with Detective Inspector Isaac Baabayi holding brief for him.
The presiding judge, Patricia Amponsah, said the prosecution had failed to file its witness statement since March this year despite repeated directions from the court.
Accordingly, the judge said she would not hesitate to strike out the case at the next adjourned date if the prosecution failed to file the witness statements and serve the persons.
She directed that a copy of the order that the case would be struck out must be submitted to Attorney General’s office before the next adjourned date on August 8, this year.
Delay
Lawyers for the accused persons – Justin Terriwajjah, David Bondorin, Jango Nuhu, Devine Dotse Tettey, Andrews Kudzo Vortia and Emmanuel Larbi – all took turns to pray for bail for their clients.
They argued that the constant delay by prosecution meant their clients were being kept in custody as a form of punishment even before trial begins.
They accused the prosecution of not having any concrete evidence against the accused persons, hence the constant delay in filing the documents.
Again, they accused the prosecution of not promoting justice with their constant delay and inability or refusal to file the witness statements for the trial to commence.
” Their job is to do justice and serve justice with the court, but they have shown no regard for justice. It’s been five months and absolutely nothing has been done”, Counsel for the first accused, Mr Tettey said.
Ms Amponsah, however, denied the accused persons bail due to the severity of the alleged offence, adding that she was not satisfied and not convinced with their bail applications.
Robberies
The facts as narrated by DSP Asare were that last year, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) recorded as a series of street robberies, as well as attacks on bullion vans.
The police service, he said, mounted surveillance on the suspected robbers undertaking the unlawful activities within the capital.
On February 22, this year, the prosecutor said the police received a report of an attack on the bullion van at North Kaneshie in Accra.
He said subsequently, the police launched investigations into the alleged robbery, which led to the arrest of Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansah alias Pablo (deceased), who admitted the offence during interrogation.
DSP Asare added that further enquiries led to the arrest of Lance Corporal Stephen Nyame (also deceased) and the accused persons; Constable Affisu, Yaro Ibrahim, Constable Richard Boadu, Constable Rabiu Jambedu and Constable Albert Ofosu.
Investigations
According to the prosecutor, during investigations, the late L/pl. Nyame and Constable Ansah admitted taking part in the robberies and mentioned two Nigerians, including Omor Naija as accomplices, who were currently on the run, and that some of the weapons used in the robberies were with Nigerian accomplices around Ashaiman.
He added that on March 6, 2022, L/pl. Nyame and Constable Ansah led the police to Ashaiman to apprehend the two Nigerian suspects, which led to the death of L/pl. Nyame and Constable Ansah who sustained gunshot wounds during the operation.
The case has been in court since it was first on March 8, this year.
