An expert obstetrician-gynecologist at the First-Class Hospital, Dr. Francis Appiah, has warned diabetes patients to take their prescriptions as directed by licensed medical professionals seriously.
The Specialist Obstetrician-Gynecologist again cautioned the public, especially diabetics, to avoid self-medication.
He said diabetes should not be seen as a curse but as a curable and controlled disease.
Dr. Appiah made this known in an interview with GBC Ghana Online at Assin Nsuta in the Assin South District of the Central Region.
He explained that diabetes can be cured or controlled when prescribed measures are followed.
In addition, the Specialist Obstetrician-Gynecologist charged diabetics to be mindful of what they eat, when to eat, and also eat well to avoid unpleasant situations.
He explained that diabetes occurs as a result of a defect in the pancreas when the body is not able to utilize insulin.
According to Dr. Appiah, untreated high blood sugar can damage one’s nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs.
He, therefore, advocated that people should not wait till they are sick before visiting the hospital, recommending routine checkups.
Davis Mac Iyalla, a well-known Nigerian born British LGBTQIA+ rights activist who sworn in as a traditional chief in Yamonransa in the Central Region over the weekend, is no longer in that position.
The chiefs of Nkusum Traditional Area stripped him of the title and reversed his installation on the grounds that he failed to reveal his true identity to them.
According to the traditional leaders, they had known him only as Kweku Adu, a resident of Cape Coast, for the past 10 years and only got to know that he was actually known as Davis Mac Iyalla, an LGBTQIA+ rights activist only a few moments to the installation. In view of that, they (the chiefs) decided to reverse the process and that Mac Iyalla cannot refer to himself as a chief anymore.
“During the process of his installation as Amankorehen, (Nkosuohen ie Development chief), information came that Kweku Adu is also known as Davis Mac-Iyalla and has been supporting LGBTQIA+ and it’s related activities.
“Immediately this information came to our attention, we called for the whole process of Mac-Iyalla to be halted. We wish to state that no title has been conferred on him as Amankorehen of Yamonranza.”Nana Okese
The popular gay activist was outdoored at a ceremony at Yamonransa, under the stool name Nana Kweku Gyasi I. However, Nana Okese Esandoh IX, Paramount chief of the Nkusukum Traditional Area, disclosed that the traditional council was not aware that Mac Iyalla was a gay activist and had thus refrained from conferring that chieftaincy title on him.
The traditional leader explained that, he got to know Mac-Iyalla through some friends in Cape Coast, who recommended that he had been supportive with developmental projects. He made known that he discussed the issues with the Ebusuapayin (family head) of Yamonransa to install him as Amankorehen to help with the area’s development.
Among others, the Chief indicated that, the Amankorehen was to organise the African-American people who have traced their roots to Yamonransa to support the area’s development. Nana Esandoh admitted that Mac-Iyalla had shown some dedication and commitment to the development of the area.
“His broader vision to attract investors from America and Europe, particularly the United Kingdom to boost economic activities is great.”Nana Okese
Fall From Palanquin Incident
Davis Iyalla was carried in a palanquin through the Yamonransa township, pouring schnapps along the route. The palanquin ride did not go smoothly, as he fell off the palanquin to the ground on his way to the durbar grounds.
On reaching the grounds, Davis together with the paramount chief, Nana Okese Esandoh, were held in an engagement with police officials for about an hour before the proceedings continued with an amended programme lineup. The swearing of oath of allegiance to the Omanhene in state on the initial programme lineup was cancelled.
Mac Iyalla in his address disclosed that, he had completed all traditional formalities emphasizing that he was now a chief. He stated that he was born Nigerian but now a British citizen saying by “the grace of God he practice what he preaches”, ie human rights for all persons.
“I don’t believe in discrimination. Whether you are tall, short black, white, yellow or green you are a human being and I will fight for that my belief to the very end. No matter what it cost me. I am not a hypocrite and I will not start now to be a hypocrite. You don’t need to like me but you have to respect my views.”Davis
Mac Davis explained that, he came to know the Omanhene in April 2022 when the Omanhene had been in a chieftaincy dispute for 13years. He said soon after knowing him (the Omanhen) they worked to ensure he was gazetted in December 2022 and sworn into the regional house of chiefs. “I am a man of action. When I enter somewhere I bring change. Whenever I enter anywhere if I say I want to do something I do it and I do it very well.” he averred.
The gay actitivist, asserted that he belonged to Nkusukum Yamonransa and nobody can take it away from him. “Let us not waste time. Let us celebrate and enjoy. I have completed the process as a chief.” he declared.
News of his installation on various social media received a lot of attention with many criticizing the chiefs for installing him.
Nigerian LGBTQ rights campaigner, Davis Mac-Iyalla, has been installed as Amankorehen, also known as development chief, in the Central Region.
His coronation was however not devoid of drama as Davis Mac-Iyalla fell from the very palanquin he was being carried in.
Nana Kwesi Gyasi I fell while being paraded in the streets on the shoulders of some members of the traditional area.
Viral videos on social media showed how Davis Mac-Iyalla fell when his carriers toppled to the ground.
The procession came to an abrupt end as many gathered around to help lift Nana Kwesi Gyasi I.
After the activity, he had some words for his detractors who he suspects “were trying to stop me or throw me off the palanquin. But shame has come upon them.”
“Some people are racists. They are saying that ‘Omanhene is not Ghanaian so why are you making him chief?’ Those same people have made foreigners chiefs and benefitted from it. Clear hypocrisy and jealousy,” he said after the incident.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has earned congratulations from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Central Region leadership for his selection as the leader of the minority caucus in parliament.
In a press statement dated January 24, 2023, the leadership said that Ato Forson’s elevation offers ample testament to his hard work and dedication to parliament and Ghana.
“The leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Central Region wishes on behalf of the entire membership of the party in the region, to extend a very hearty congratulations to the new Minority Leader in Parliament, Hon Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on his elevation.
“Dr Ato Forson’s elevation offers ample testament to his hard work and dedication to the cause of the NDC in Parliament and in Ghana in general over the years,” part of the statement read.
The NDC in a statement signed by the General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey announced that it has made changes to the leadership of the minority in parliament.
The former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has been appointed as the Minority Leader in the 8th Parliament of Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
Kofi Armah Buah is also the Deputy Minority Chief Whip. Kwame Agbodza takes over as Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Chief Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Chief Whip. Meanwhile, The Tamale South Constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abdul Rauf, has said that he and his constituents will not accept the decision of the national executive of the party to replace Haruna Iddrisu as the minority leader.
According to him, if the party fails to rescind its decision, he will lead the party’s faithful in his constituency to vote against it in the 2024 general elections.
Eight girls trafficked to Ghana to be sex workers have been rescued, with seven of them repatriated to Nigeria by the Ghana Police Service and the Cape Coast office of the Social Welfare Department.
The young girls, aged between 15 and 22, were trafficked into the country under the pretext of securing them white collar jobs to enable them to improve their standard of living.
Two of the girls were rescued at Diaso, the Upper Denkyira West District capital, three at Mankessim in the Mfantseman Municipality, and three at Assin Awisen in the Assin South Municipality of the Central Region.
However, a 22-year-old lady among them was later freed by the Department when the caretaker of the Social Welfare Shelter reported that she was causing problems at the home.
Mr Alexander Ofosu Yeboah, the Unit Head in-charge of the Children Residential Home of the Department, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said human trafficking cases were mostly high during vacations.
The rescued girls were repatriated through the International Organisation for Migration after identifying their families in Nigeria.
He said the perpetrators deceived the victims, who were secondary school girls, of providing basic needs and giving them jobs that could change their lives and make them comfortable.
According to Mr Yeboah, the rescue mission was possible based on intelligence gathered by the police and the victims reporting the incident to them after realising they had been deceived.
The Department provided shelter for them throughout their stay in the country until they were identified and sent back to their country.
The perpetrators, all Nigerians, are on the run except one female who was arrested and sentenced to five years imprisonment in hard labour, Mr Yeboah said.
The menace was rife in mining, farming, and fishing areas of the region where many trafficked girls were sent to engage in sexual activities for their masters, he said.
Mr Yeboah said human trafficking was the inhuman practice that negatively affected the future of its victims and needed collective efforts to reduce to its barest minimum.
Laws governing human trafficking must be strictly enforced to scare perpetrators from involving in the act, he noted.
On challenges confronting the Department, Mr Yeboah said, sadly perpetrators of trafficking were mostly freed or released due to the 48- hour clause in police cells.
He said since most of the perpetrators were foreigners, granting bail was not guaranteed because they had no relative or family member in the country to stand in for them.
He, therefore, appealed to the Government to either extend the 48 hours period for trafficking perpetrators or enact a law to process them for court right after arrest.
A former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Central Regional First Vice Chairman, Horace Ekow Ewusi, has predicted a landslide victory for the party in the 2024 election.
Mr Ewusi says he believes the party is now more forged in unity and will increase the gains it secured in the 2020 election.
He was speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen following a reconciliation event last weekend in Cape Coast to patch the cracks in the party ahead of the 2024 general election.
The NPP, ahead of the 2020 general election, had 19 parliamentary seats in the Central Region while the NDC had four.
But the NPP lost nine of its parliamentary seats due to which the NDC swept 13 while the former secured 10 and managed to win 19 constituencies in the presidential election.
Scores of party faithful blamed the outcome on what they described as disunity in the region.
However, Mr Ewusi has touted the party has built a formidable front in the region, adding the Chairman Kutin-led administration is now more experienced which will make their victory an easy one.
“We have been able to write our wrongs and the one who did it in 2020, Chairman Kutin who helped us to secure those constituencies knows how he did it. I’m convinced he is more experienced now and will do much better. The elephant will surely smile at us in the Central Region,” he said.
He added the reconciliation event was a step in the right direction and commended the former and current executives for making it possible.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has revealed that a rice processing firm in the Central Region, Tedman Company Limited is indebted to the Ministry to the tune of GH¢127,177.
The company was offered a rice mill to boost its local rice production activities in 2012 but has since not made payment to the Crop Services Department of the Ministry.
No tangible efforts have been made by the company after a decade of its indebtedness to the state.
During its hearings, the Public Accounts Committee announced plans to invite the firm over the matter.
Audited documents revealed that the recommendations of the auditors were that the company be made to pay the amount at the Bank of Ghana’s prevailing interest rate, but no commitments have been made since 2012.
The Agric Ministry’s representative indicated that efforts made to retrieve the amount have not been fruitful and has resolved to refer the matter to the Attorney General for advice.
“We have still not been able to recover the remaining amount and there have been a series of letters to the company and our next line of action is to refer the matter to the Attorney General for advice on the matter.
“The company has only paid GH¢4,000, and we are saying that after all these series of communication, they have still not paid and being a transaction that is of commercial nature, it is the Attorney General that will be in the best place to advise us.”
A 35-year-old Assistant Headteacher of Ekumfi Akra Methodist Basic School in the Central Region, Shadrach Frimpong has been shot while easing himself in a bush near the Teachers Bangalow which has no toilet facility.
The incident happened on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 around 5:30am.
Bullets fired missed him by a whisker and rather hit a tree infront of him saving the victim from being shot dead instantly.
The bullets, however, ricocheted and hit his left eye and hand.
He was rushed to the Mankessim Roman Hospital for treatment by some teachers who heard him screaming for help and went to his aid.
The father of the victim, Richard Anaman in an interview with Kasapa News, suspects the assailant had tried killing his son for canning a student.
He revealed that his son had a misunderstanding recently with some parents for canning a student for misconduct but the issue has been settled.
The case has been reported to the Ekumfi Essiohyia Police for an investigation.
Fear and panic have gripped residents of Dominase in the Assin South District of the Central Region following the murder of a 28-year-old man.
The deceased identified as Kwaku Emmanuel before his demise worked with a renowned Cocoa Purchasing Company in the Assin South District as a cocoa carrier.
The mother of the deceased, Yaa Mansa, 65, in an interview with Kasapa News, disclosed that her son left home around 10 PM on Monday, 9th January 2023 to Assin Fosu after taking his supper.
She added that to their shock, they found out the next day (Tuesday, January,10,2023) morning that the deceased has been brutally murdered and dumped on the outskirt of the town with bruises on his face and blood oozing from the nostrils, mouths and ears.
A plier, blocks, sticks and metal was also found near his dead body an indication that he might have been murdered.
Further checks found a school bag 60 meters away from the dead body, containing 3 balls of kenkey, a stabilizer, and a Bluetooth speaker and same have been kept as exhibits.
A team of Police Officers led by Chief Superintendent Cephas Arthur, the Assin Fosu District Police Commander upon hearing the news went to the crime scene to convey the body to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital mortuary.
The Police have commenced investigation into the death and have appealed to the residents to assist them with information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.
A fatal accident at Apam in the Central region has resulted in the death of a female passenger with thirteen others being severely injured.
According to a citinewsroom.com report, the driver of a Toyota Hiace mini truck that was loaded with passengers travelling to Takoradi from Agona Sweduru attempted to pass the car in front him, but was unsuccessful, leading to the collision.
The Apam District Fire Commander, ACFO II Ankomah Nuamah said that one of the vehicles with registration number AS 471-20 somersaulted several times, resulting in the death of the female passenger
The injured victims are receiving treatment at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital at the St. Luke Catholic Hospital in Apam.
The suspect, Isaac Osei, was arrested at a checkpoint on Tuesday while on his way to Winneba when he was spotted in a black Police uniform.
Osei, who according to Police sources, was driving a vehicle with registration number GE 3012 -12, was signalled to stop but failed over claims he was an officer.
He, however, succumbed to pressure and upon interrogation, maintained he was a policeman.
The suspect, who identified himself as Isaac Osei, wore a uniform with the name tag ‘Laryea’.
When asked of his service number he could not give it and later confessed he was not an officer but it was his friend’s uniform.
Further information gathered by Adom News indicates that the suspect without hesitation removed sim cards from his phone and chewed it in front of the police to avoid tracking his activities.
Students of Mando Senior High Technical School in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam District of the Central Region, have bemoaned the poor quality of meals served to them during dining sessions.
According to the students, they used to be served quality meals in the past, however, things have changed now as they sometimes do not get served any meals during the weekends.
Speaking in an interview with Class FM’s Central regional correspondent, Nana Tawiah, some of the students explained: “Our dining situation is bad. In the mornings, we are served tea, for lunch ‘Egbeme’ and for supper, rice water. You can see the rice under the water, no sugar, so you have to take your own sugar.
“The tea is so light, if it pours in your uniform, you can use it to wash the uniform. The dining situation is very poor, so, we’re appealing to the government to come to our aid,” a female student explained.
Another female student said: “We haven’t been served any good food since last month”.
“The day we’ll get some solid food will be days they serve Kenkey, no fish; even if they add fish, the stew is more than water, one mackerel for two tables or 20 people. Even with that, it’s once in a while. The food is bad, and it’s insufficient.”
“We’re served only liquid food thrice a day, they must at least serve solids.”
Another female student indicated that due to the poor quality of meals served, the students fall sick frequently and have to go home.
“Sometimes, they give us tea in the morning, in the afternoon, too, when you’re expecting solid food, you get there and they ask you to go for your cups, they serve you tea again. In the evening, too, you get there and they serve you Oblayo or rice water, the rice water too, you can pour the water away and add pepper to it to eat. The situation is bad”.
“Mando Senior High Technical, we’re pleading with the government and the authorities, in the name of God to help our school. We’re suffering. There are some among us who do not have money, since morning they have been sitting around starving. The tea is so light, lots of people are falling sick and have to go home. We plead with the government to help us otherwise when school vacates and we go back home, we’ll not return to school again.”
The students also bemoaned the inability of some of their parents to understand their plights, as it is believed that the government is catering for them under the current free Senior High School (SHS) programme.
“Our mothers, too, think when you come to school, you eat well, so, when you call to ask them for money or bring you food, they’ll be saying, aren’t you the ones who are being catered for by the government, why again are you calling for food or money. They really do not understand our situation,” one of the students stated.
Another student added: “When we came previously, they used to serve us Jollof and sausage”.
“There’s no money; when you ask your mum for money, it takes about a week to arrive, when it comes too, you have a lot of bills to pay because you’re owing people and have to pay for the extra classes or that.”
Emmanuel Addae, a 57-year-old cocoa farmer from Twifu Heman Nsuaem in the Central Region, has been granted a nine-month prison term for stealing two plantain bunches.
Mr. Addae said he harvested the plantain, which belonged to his friend because he was hungry.
But the mistake he said he did was his failure to ask his friend before harvesting the food item.
In an interview with crimecheckghana.org at the Ankaful Main Camp Prison in the Central Region, Mr. Addae said because he was unable to bear the starvation he and his family were experiencing, he intended to inform his playmate after harvesting the food crop.
Unfortunately, he said, his friend had traveled so when he went to his house, he met his brother.
According to him, his pal’s brother was not kind to him so he reported him to the police.
Mr. Addae said he was however surprised that his friend did not do anything about the situation when he returned.
“My friend would not have had any problem with me harvesting his plantain if he were around but I was disappointed when he told me to go with the help of God when they were going to imprison me,” he complained.
The father of five who could barely afford three square meals for his wife and children said he was arraigned before a court in Fosu where he pleaded guilty. The court he said fined him One Thousand Two Hundred Ghana cedis.
Unable to pay the fine, he said the presiding judge sentenced him to nine months imprisonment suggesting that it is his habit of stealing people’s food crops on their farms.
Mr. Addae narrates his disgusting experience in prison after serving six months.
“When you want to use the toilet, you have to ask permission from the one in charge. The person could be a small boy dictating to you to use it or not. If the person is absent you do not have the right to use the toilet. You have to wait till he comes no matter how pressing your situation is. We are in the same room with the toilet pot and while you are using it, there are people around. It is normal because we sleep around the pot,” he explains.
Crime Check Foundation (CCF) paid a working visit to Mr. Addae at the prison as part of the implementation of its Petty Offenders project.
CCF paid the poor man’s fine after interacting with him about his crime. This was done with support from a Ghana-based donor, Simple Freddy.
Petty Offenders project
Crime Check Foundation is helping to decongest the prisons across the country with the paying of fines for persons who have committed minor crimes like stealing plantain in the case of Mr. Addae. The Foundation has facilitated the release of thousands of such offenders and successfully re-integrated them into society.
CCF continues to call on government to see to the immediate passage of the Non-Custodial Sentencing bill into law.
20-year-old Stephen Ansah is in the grip of the Assin Fosu police service for slashing the palm of a friend at Pomaa Pokuase, in the Assin Fosu Municipality of the Central Region.
Inspector Gilbert Ayongo, who confirmed the incident, said Mr. Emmanuel Appiah, 22, is currently fighting for his fingers at the Fosu Polyclinic.’
According to the Ghanaian Times newspaper, Inspector Gilbert Ayongo, a state prosecutor, disclosed that Emmanuel the victim, demanded his share of GH₵30 money they both worked for, but Ansah refused to give him his part, and this lingered on for two weeks.
He added that the victim, who desperately needed the money, reported the incident to Ansah’s father.
However, Ansah took exception to this and went to the victim’s home armed with a cutlass and attempted to stab the victim in the stomach.
As the suspect pulled the cutlass, the victim seized it with both hands, cutting parts of his fingers.
Ansah fled after wounding the victim but was later apprehended by the Assin Fosu Police Force after receiving a tip-off.
The report added that he will now be charged in court.
A woman believed to be in her early sixties has committed suicide on her farm at Breman Essiam in the Central Region.
The deceased, Antie Esi Annan, was a popular shopkeeper who operated her own provision store at Breman Essiam.
She went missing on Sunday, November 27, 2022, so residents thought she had travelled to visit her children.
Several calls were made to reach her children to find out if she was with any of them. But it turned out that none of the children had seen her.
She was found hanging from a tree on her farm in the afternoon of Monday, November 28, 2022.
Her death has thrown residents into a state of shock, wondering what might have pushed her to take her life.
Reports gathered by Kasapa News’ Yaw Boagyan indicate that the brother of the deceased also committed suicide by hanging himself about three months ago on the same farm.
Police at Breman Nkwantanum were informed and officers proceeded to the scene and conveyed the body to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital Mortuary.
Twifo Hemang Methodist JHS Basic School in the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District of the Central Region has been shut down by the school authorities following frequent defecations in the classrooms.
In the recent incident, some unscrupulous persons splashed human excreta on tables, floors, and blackboards from JHS 1 to JHS 3 including the Headmaster’s office.
Speaking in an interview with Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan the students disclosed the situation is badly affecting teaching and learning as they are in a revision week and are about to write their end-of-term exams.
They claim this is the 6th time they are encountering such an unfortunate incident as the unidentified persons started defecating in the classrooms from the Primary blocks and have now extended it to the Junior High School block.
They called on the authorities to provide the school with security to ward off unscrupulous persons.
The Headteacher of the Schoo, Mr. George Kurentsir said the JHS students have been relocated as a temporal measure.
He believed the faceless people behind today’s defecation did it in a bucket and splashed it in the classrooms through the top of the roofs and holes in the windows because the doors were tightly locked.
Mr. George Kurentsir said the school is sitting in the heart of the community and is furnished with street lights so he wonders how the people got the courage to commit such a shameful act.
IsaacGodiga, a 35-year-old farmer has met his untimely death after he was stabbed several times in the chest and stomach at Assin Akropong in the Assin Fosu Municipality of the Central Region.
Information gathered by Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan revealed the deceased confronted the suspect over his missing Samsung Galaxy mobile phone after he received information that the suspect and his friends had gone out looking for a buyer of the same missing mobile phone.
A serious altercation broke out between them in the process and the suspect who was already wielding weapons including a knife inflicted deep wounds on the deceased.
He died while being transported to the hospital for treatment. The body has since been deposited at the St. Francis Xavier Hospital Morgue pending investigations.
The deceased is said to have earlier made an official complaint to the Assin Akropong Police Command after he received intel that the phone was with the suspect and his friends, but the police officer on duty ordered the complainant, now deceased to get the suspect arrested since the police officers on duty at the time were not enough to go out of the station.
Consequently, the Assin Fosu Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Edith Gaanu including the Divisional Crime Officer, DSP Daniel Darko, and the District Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Cephas Arthur, and a team of police officers paid a visit to commiserate with the bereaved family and assured them that the circumstances surrounding the death of their relatives will be probed transparently and professionally.
They also called on the youth to remain calm and not to resort to violence as the police are forever ready to address their concerns.
Meanwhile, one of the suspects has been arrested and is in police custody assisting with the investigation.
A taxi driver believed to be in his late 20’s has been killed in a bush and his taxi cab taken away by unknown assailants at Komfo Addai, a suburb of Winneba in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region.
Information gathered by Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan indicates that the taxi driver was hired by the assailants to Winneba Senior High School, and upon reaching a section of the road leading to the school which is bushy, they tied the driver with a rope and inserted Robb ointment in both of his eyes, and beat him until he died.
They then left him in the bush and took the taxi away.
A report was made to the police who arrived at the scene and conveyed the body to the morgue. The police have commenced an investigation into the matter and are on a manhunt to arrest the assailants.
Reports say that a particular area is a no-go area since armed robbers have been attacking people there.
Not long ago, a girl from school was nearly killed in the same area.
The Central Regional Secretariat of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has directed aspirants in the race for the National Executives Committee elections to seek the approval of the secretariat before embarking on their campaign activities in the region.
The Secretariat has observed with great concern that some national aspirants are meeting Constituencies in the Central Region for a campaign engagement without prior permission from the regional party leadership.
Thus, the party has issued a directive in a statement dated November 17, 2022, signed by Gabriel Nii Kommey Adams, the Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress.
Below is the full statement:
We bring you warm greetings and compliments from the Central Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
We wish to congratulate all National Aspirants who were successful at their vetting and have been duly cleared by the National Vetting Committee to contest the upcoming National Executive Committee Elections for various positions in the party.
Incidentally, the Regional Party Secretariat has observed with great concern that some National Aspirants are meeting Constituencies in Central Region (CR) for a campaign engagement without prior permission from the Regional Party Leadership.
Consequently, the Regional Party Secretariat wishes to bring the following directive to the notice of all National Aspirants and all Constituency Chairmen in the Central Region:
1. That all National Executive committee aspirants are advised to notify the Regional Party Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Central Region, through the Regional Secretary, with full details of their profile and planned campaign activities in the Region (CR). This should include possible dates for entry and exit.
2. That all National Executive committee aspirants are advised not to engage any constituency in the region unless explicit permission is granted by the Regional Party Secretariat.
3. All National Aspirants who adhere strictly to this directive will be granted permission to engage delegates in the region and an officer from the Regional Executive Committee will be assigned to assist in his or her campaign tour of constituencies in the Central Region.
4. That all National Executive committee aspirants are advised to make provisions to meet with the Regional Executive committee as part of their planned campaign touring activities in the Region (CR).
5. Furthermore, all Constituency Chairmen and Secretaries, shall be notified to request from National Executive aspirants evidence of permission granted by the Regional Secretariat before granting any constituency engagement with aspirants.
6. Failure on the part of any Constituency Chairman to adhere to this directive shall result in disciplinary actions.
7. All Constituency Chairmen are to ensure that this information gets to the attention of all delegates in their respective constituencies with immediate effect.
On behalf of the Regional Executive Committee of the Central Region Branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), I welcome all National Executive Committee aspirants into the Central Region and wish them good luck as they prepare to run successful campaign tours in the Central Region.
The consumers claim that the rising cost of akpeteshie has forced them to cut back on their use.
Customers of the locally manufactured spirit observed that the beverage used to be offered from GHS1 upwards in an interview with ClassFM’s Central Regional Correspondent, Nana Tawiah.
However, due to the current economic challenges confronting the nation, the price of the drink has increased.
A consumer said: “Now, akpeteshie is expensive, one gallon is GHS50. Previously you could just buy on credit and come and pay later, now they have stopped selling on credit.”
“Quarter is GHS5, now you don’t even get intoxicated when we consume it. We’re saying that if he [President] can’t do anything, he should reduce the price of petrol so that the price of akpeteshie can be reduced,” he stated.
Another consumer also said: “Things are not going well at all; one tot is now GHS 1. Government has really worried us.”
A 10-year-old girl class 3 pupil of Agona Duotu D/A Basic School in the Central Region has hanged herself.
The deceased, Afia Awusi, hanged herself in the corridor of her home on Monday, November 7, 2022 morning.
It is unknown what pushed the little girl to take her life.
Some residents in an interview with Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan, say they suspect someone might have killed and hanged her since they don’t believe the little girl could hang herself.
The body has been deposited at the Agona Swedru Government Hospital Mortuary for autopsy and preservation.
Meanwhile, the case has been reported to the Agona Swedru Police Command for investigation.
A popular taxi driver has allegedly been murdered in Ajumako Mando in the Central Region.
The lifeless body of the driver was discovered with his head and the vehicle missing. This has generated fear among the residents of the community.
Before his death, Botwey carried out his taxi-driving business from a taxi rank at Ekumfi Essarkyire and was well-known in the area.
According to adomonline.com the Financial Secretary of Ekumfi Essarkyire Protoa Station, Ibrahim Mustapha, disclosed that some people hired the services of the deceased on Saturday.
However, after leaving the station with them in his Toyota Vitz with the Registration number GT 6188-20 from Ekumfi Essarkyire to Ajumako Botwey never returned.
Before his death, Botwey carried out his taxi-driving business from a taxi rank at Ekumfi Essarkyire and was well-known in the area.
According to adomonline.com the Financial Secretary of Ekumfi Essarkyire Protoa Station, Ibrahim Mustapha, disclosed that some people hired the services of the deceased on Saturday.
However, after leaving the station with them in his Toyota Vitz with the Registration number GT 6188-20 from Ekumfi Essarkyire to Ajumako Botwey never returned.
The President Akufo-Addo, has stated that government is prepared to take the necessary steps in reclaiming all state lands including University of Cape Coast (UCC) lands that have been encroached on by developers across the country.
He explained that, one-third of the UCC’s legally acquired land for instance had been taken over by encroachers, saying, “This is unacceptable.”
President Akufo-Addo said this at a durbar held at the campus of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to climax the 60th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the University.
He inaugurated a number of facilities namely, the School of Graduate Studies Building, a six-storey guest house and School of Medical Sciences Auditorium and adjoining facilities.
The anniversary was on the theme: “60 years of quality higher education: expanding the frontiers.”
President Akufo-Addo said: “I am saddened with this state of affairs especially because it is happening in Cape Coast of all places, the cradle of Ghana’s education system”
He, therefore, called on the chiefs and people of the area to ensure cessation of this unfortunate activities, saying, “We must begin to see the university not only as a national asset and asset of the Central Region but most importantly also as an asset of the people of Cape Coast in particular.”
Touching on the current economic challenges, he said, graduates of UCC and Ghanaians in general, should continue to be inspired by the patriotic endeavours showed by members of the Aborigines RightS Protection Society which was founded in Cape Coast which ensured indigenous ownership of landS as they were threatened by European colonialists.
“It is this same example of patriotic endeavour, this same spirit of determination and tenacity by the Aborigines that we must summon up today to enable us navigate the current difficult headwinds that have engulfed the economy of our country so that we must come out stronger and more empowered than we were before to continue our journey towards our destiny of prosperity and freedom,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo commended the UCC for the feat it had chalked over the years and therefore charged management to ensure that the institution remain pure and unadulterated un the provision of quality academic and intellectual discourse and in finding solution to complex and far-reaching problems across borders and disciplines.
He expressed anticipation of witnessing products of the University making positive impact and building a strong and distinctive workforce in Ghana, West Africa and across the world.
He further urged management, staff, students and stakeholders to put their shoulders to the wheel to ensure further development and transformation of the University.
He noted that the achievement of UCC over the years had been remarkable as it was reflected in considerable growth of faculty, students and infrastructure.
He gave an assurance of his commitment towards redeeming a pledge made last year of supporting the construction of students’ accommodation facility for the University.
“I acknowledge the need for further expansion of infrastructure to meet current demands and support for the free SHS initiative of this administration,” he said.
He said, the current administration would offer the needed support to expand its infrastructure for the benefit of the numerous senior high school graduates who now qualify to access university education yearly.
The government, he said, would not renege on its commitment in providing quality education and equal opportunities for future generations to have a good education.
“Regardless of the difficulties currently confronting our nation, government will continue to intervene and remain responsible for the provision of free and quality basic and secondary education for all,” he indicated.
He noted that education was the key to the development of any country and said his administration’s commitment to the Free SHS remains unshaken.
The Vice Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Johnson NyarkoBoampong, in his address, appealed to the government for financial clearance to recruit additional staff to compliment the efforts of the overstretched academic staff.
The University, he said, was currently pursuing international institutional accreditation exercise and said, it would ultimately enhance the process to increase the competitiveness of UCC.
He indicated that the University was pursuing a creative path to transform UCC into a world class competitive entrepreneurial university.
The Chancellor of UCC, Sir Sam Essuon Jonah, in his address, underscored the need for the University to be innovative in the training of students in order for them to meet the changing global demand.
He urged the School of Agriculture to lead the way in coming out with better yielding crop varieties in ensuring increase in crop production.
A 40-year-old woman has been left with a deep cut in her palm after four armed men attacked her on Gomoa Akotsi- Winneba highway in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region.
According to the victim, she was heading to work around 5:30 am Wednesday October 19th 2022 when the men pounced on her.
She said she made attempts to escape but one of the thugs slammed her against the door of a private car they were riding in.
She narrated how another suspect attempted to slash her in the neck with sharpened cutlass but she protected herself with her hand which resulted in a deep wound on the palm.
In an interview with Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan, the victim said her attack was not an incident of robbery as the thugs did not take any of her belongings, and rejected her plea to take her phone and spare her life.
The thugs, realising she was not backing down fled the scene.
She was transported to the hospital by her pastor and her husband for treatment.
Meanwhile, the case has been reported to the Gomoa Akotsi Police Station for investigation.
Two persons have died while several others were reported injured after a dynamite blast at a stone quarry site at Abura Tetsi in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese District of the Central Region.
Locals told GHOne TV that three people have lost their lives, while at least ten have also been injured just this year as a result of the stone quarry dynamite blasting in the enclave.
Many of the residents say they’re now living with diseases such as High Blood Pressure and Asthma as a result of the dynamite blasting in the community.
They also complained their buildings have become death traps due to huge cracks developed in their walls. Several buildings according to reports have also collapsed as a result of the constant blasting.
The company which has been operating for about a year now in the area allegedly blasts the dynamite at night when most residents are asleep causing fear and panic to them.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Abura Tetsi, Nana Okogyeaman Preprah X says he’s not aware of any permit granted to the quarry company to operate on his land.
A middle-aged-looking Ghanaian man has reportedly climbed a high-tension pole at Kasoa, a community in the Central Region.
His decision was to protest the current economic hardship in the country, eyewitness accounts said.
In a viral video, which was sighted by GhanaWeb, the man was seen quickly climbing the high-tension pole as bystanders made many pleas in attempts to get him down.
Also in the video, a vehicle of the Ghana Police Service could be seen, creating the impression that the police officers were on the scene to help get the man off the pole before he endangered his life even more.
A journalist, Kwaku Asante, who shared the video on Twitter, said that the man climbed the pole because he was fed up with life.
“A man has climbed the high tension poles in Kasoa and, according to eyewitnesses, says he won’t come down despite the police on site. He says he’s tired of life and the economy,” Asante tweeted.
An onlooker, with a Nigerian accent, was also heard running commentary in the background of the video, saying that a Ghanaian man is had climbed the pole because of the hardships in the country.
“The police are around to rescue this Ghana man who says he is tired of life. They should let him get to the top,” the man said in Pidgin English.
The Ghana Police Service has not commented on the incident yet.
Watch the incident below:
A man has climbed the High tension poles in Kasoa and according to eyewitnesses says he won’t come down despite the police on site. He says he’s tired of life and the economy.
Warning: the narrator uses some strong words. pic.twitter.com/rbHgFk88Sl
The chiefs and people of Anomabo in the Central Region, at the weekend, climaxed their annual Okyir festival with a call on the government to reinforce discipline as a critical component in the nation’s educational structure for sustainable development.
In a message delivered on his behalf by Nana Baffoe IV, the Kontihen of the area, the Omanhen of the Anomabo Traditional Area, Nana Amonoo Kantamanto XI, said disciplined educated citizens remain a significant ingredient for the nation’s accelerated socio-economic development.
He indicated that while there was so much attention on developing education through financial investments, little attention was given to the attitudinal and behaviourial growth of students.
This year’s durbar themed “Education and discipline: Tools for development” was in its full grace and colour, as hundreds turned out to celebrate the festival after its two-year break due to COVID-19.
Kantamanto Amonoo said the country needed a discipline-oriented education system to shape behaviour and attitude for an accelerated sustainable development.
Meaning of Okyir
Okyir, which literally translates as “abomination”, is used as a platform to campaign against social vices, including poor sanitation, teenage pregnancy, greed and injustice.
The week-long festival, which is celebrated in the second week of October, is also used to thank the ancestors for their protection and guidance and engender unity for progress among all citizens in Anomabo.
Kantamanto Amonoo called for a shift in focus, saying that discipline remained an invaluable asset needed for development in Ghana, stressing that no country could attain a meaningful growth without educated and disciplined citizens.
He thanked successive governments for their contributions to the development of Anomabo and appealed to the government to expedite work on ongoing or abandoned projects in the town.
Government pledge
In a message delivered for him by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Mfantseman, Ike Lord Enu, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said government would continue to impact every community with development.
He said Anomabo had had the greatest share of government’s support in the area, with, among others, a five-million-dollar sea defence project, a gari factory and a fisheries college which was 97 per cent complete.
He stated that these projects and the Anomabo new market, which would be completed next year, would all promote the well-being of the people of the area.
A management consultant and chairman for the occasion, Mr Ernest Egyir De-Graft, touching on the theme, said discipline should be an integral part of education and adopted as a major Key Performance Index.
Eschew greed
The chairman further urged leaders on all levels to eschew selfishness and greed that enrich themselves at the expense of the people they served in order to support development efforts in their communities.
15 persons have sustained varying degrees of injuries after a commercial vehicle loaded with passengers burst one of its tyres and crashed into a tree at the Gomoa Odumase in the Central Region.
Eyewitnesses say, the speeding driver lost grip of the steering wheel and subsequently crashed the vehicle into a tree on the side of the highway.
The impact of the crash was so severe, as all seats of the vehicle got displaced and the passengers sustained various degrees of injuries.
The victims are receiving treatment at the St Luke Catholic Hospital in Apam.
The Apam fire commander, DOI Adolf Ankomah Nuamah, while admonishing drivers to drive with caution, also called on the Highway Authority to put in place speed reduction mechanisms.
“This is a high-risk accident-prone area, so there should be some form of control because drivers will speed or overtake wrongly in that area. This is the second time in the last few days. On Saturday, there was also an accident at the same place. So we are hoping that the Highway Authority will construct some ramps there to control the speed.”
Tidal waves have washed away a man believed to be in his early twenties at Anomabo in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.
The unidentified, man is reported to have visited the town for the festival and went to attend the nature’s call at the beach when the incident occurred.
According to an eyewitness, he was deterred from defecating in the sea, but he did not heed the advice.
The man insisted indicating that he felt good while defecating in the sea because of the sea breeze.
Strong tidal waves hit and washed him away into the sea.
Confirming the incident to Class News’ Nana Tawiah, the Best Fisherman for the Anomabo Community Nana Kwame Sankah, disclosed that this is not the first incident to have occurred in the community.
He expressed surprise at how the deceased was able to go that far to sit on the boulders to defecate.
Mr Sankah further condemned the act of open defecation into the sea and called for an end to the practice.
He disclosed that the community will perform rituals in the sea, to seek forgiveness for the deceased to enable them to retrieve his body.
Despite the number of fishermen who have been to sea to search for the body of the deceased, the search has not yielded any results yet.
The incident has since been reported to the Anomabo Police Station for investigations.
Northern Region representative Teiya Ayisha Dahamani has won the crown, cash and car of 2022 Ghana’s Most Beautiful competition. She was followed closely by Aiko from Oti Region, who took second place, with Central Region’s Asiedua coming in third place.
Teiya took home Ghc10,000 cash, one year’s supply of GTP fabric, Ghc20,000 medical insurance and spa treatment, a new techno phone, all-expense paid international trip and hampers from sponsors.
Aiko Adade coming in at second place for the Oti region received a Ghc8,000 cash prize, six months’ supply of GTP fabric, Ghc15,000 worth of medical insurance and spa treatment, all-expense paid trip and souvenirs from Airtel-Tigo.
Eastern Region’s Amoani took fourth place with a Ghc5,000 cash prize, one month’s supply of fabrics from GTP, and one month’s supply of data on Airtel-Tigo mifi and hampers from sponsors.
Xornam from the Volta Region came in fifth place taking home 3,000 cash price and hampers from sponsors.
Veteran Journalist Kweku Baako Jnr has alleged that the lynching of Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama (Major Mahama) by residents of Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region in 2017 was orchestrated by illegal small-scale miners (galamseyers).
According to him, the lynching of Major Mahama was not because he was mistaken for a thief as being asserted but was planned.
In a Peace FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Kweku Baako said that the galamseyers arranged the murder of Major Mahama because they saw him as an impediment to their activities in Denkyria-Obuasi
“This is a tragedy so I have to be careful so that I don’t hurt feelings and emotions. Do you know that the late Major Mahama was a victim of galamseyers?
“The galamseyers thought he symbolized protection of a certain mining interest there. They (the galamseyers) gingered up the thing (the incident) and got that man killed,” he narrated.
He intimated that even though no one has been found guilty of Major Mahama’s death he is confident that the perpetrators will be brought to book.
“They have not finished the court case … but it is progressing,” he said.
On May 29, 2017, residents of Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region lynched an army officer, Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama to death after mistaking him for an armed thief.
The mob attacked and beat him to death with stones, building blocks and sticks, after which they set him on fire. The horrific act which was captured on video was greatly condemned. Investigations into the murder of the army officer led to the arrest of some town folks.
President Akufo-Addo condemned the lynching as a “heinous crime,” and promised justice.
“No one involved in his murder will go free,” he said.
But up to date, no has one been found guilty of any crime.
The Ajumako Eshiem D/A Basic School in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Region, has appealed for a computer lab for effective teaching and learning of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
The lab will help to offer hands-on training and hone the digital skills of the pupils to prepare them for the future in the spirit of the national and global digital agenda.
Unlike their counterparts in other parts of the country, the school with a pupil population of about 520 learn the practical subject abstractly and are compelled to imagine majority of things taught.
For many of them, the closest they have been to a computer is meters away from the laptop of the teachers who stand before them to demonstrate certain activities.
Mr Isaac Kweku Esuon, the chairperson of the school’s Parents and Teachers’ Association (PTA), in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) lamented the dire effects of the situation on academic performance of pupils in the Area.
“The children have never had hands-on experience and due to that, performance in ICT is low. We are in the era of technology, but we are helplessly lagging,” he stated.
“As a country, we are now going digital and without the computers, our pupils will be left out. And so, we are appealing to corporate society, individuals, and all organisations to come and help establish a computer lab for our children,” he added.
The PTA chairperson noted that the school had been able to acquire about three computers with the support of the PTA but were yet to be used because there was no room to set up an ICT lab.
Mr Esuon, also appealed for a school library to inculcate the habit of reading in the children to help improve academic outcomes.
“ Ajumako Eshiem D/A needs a standard library to raise a reading, informed and responsible youth,” he added.
He also made a plea to government to expedite the distribution of textbooks for the new curriculum, emphasizing that the lack of textbooks was encumbering smooth teaching and learning.
“The Government has distributed some, but for basic seven, there are no textbooks at all. The government has already distributed science for basic one to three and English for basic four to six. Aside that, no other subject has been distributed.
“We are appealing that the rest will come soon to improve the performance of the children,” he said.
During vacations, some community members ravaged classrooms, break the doors, steal, and destroy the limited textbooks, Mr Esuon disclosed.
He, therefore, appealed for lights and security to ward off miscreants and protect the school’s property.
“The JHS classes are using marker boards donated by an organisation in the town called Adoye Kuw. But Kindergarten and basics one to six still use chalk boards which does not augur well for teaching and learning.
“Our fervent request is for stakeholders to help us install marker boards in these classes,” he added.
A 25-year-old mason, Michael Atuah, almost lost three fingers in an alleged machete attack by suspected land guards at Mankessim in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.
The victim was said to be doing some work at a construction site with some colleagues when the suspects stormed the place armed with a metal pole, machete, and a kitchen knife among others.
The suspects then attacked the victim, swinging the knife at his back and almost severing three left fingers as he tried to protect his head.
The suspects are alleged to have discarded the weapons before leaving the scene with GHC500.00 belonging to the victim.
According to an eyewitness, the victim’s fingers were only attached by soft tissue when they arrived on the scene.
He was rushed to the Mercy Women’s Hospital in Mankessim where he was treated.
Two of the suspects have been apprehended by the police while investigations have been launched into the case.
The Agona Swedru Magistrate Court has remanded a 24-year-old driver for allegedly killing Opanyin Kweku Oppong Abdulai, a 70-year-old cocoa farmer at Agona Abodom in the Central Region.
The plea of the accused, Samuel Appiah, was not taken and would reappear in court on October 17.
Prosecuting Sergeant Emmanuel Akunor told the court presided over Mr Isaac Apeatu that the accused resides at Ofankor, a suburb of Kasoa in the Central region.
He said the complainant in the case was Madam Halifatu Abdulai, a daughter of the deceased based at Agona Abodom in the Agona West.
The prosecution said the deceased owned a cocoa farm at Dapong, a village near Upper Bobikuma, and shared boundary with the accused father’s cocoa farm, of which the accused is the caretaker.
He said about three weeks ago, the accused visited the village and a misunderstanding ensued between him and the deceased over missing cocoa beans that belonged to the deceased, which the accused was suspected of stealing.
The prosecution said according to the complainant, she received a call on September 21, from her late father to come to him because he was afraid the accused might harm him due to the accused’s demeanour.
The complainant later received another call from a nearby village that the deceased had gone missing, and that a search team highly suspected the accused arrested and handed him over to the Upper Bobikuma Police for investigation.
The prosecution said while the search team continued with the search on September 22, the body of the late Opanyin Abdulai was found lying under a mango tree covered with timber slaps and was taken to the Swedru Government Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The prosecution said after intensive interrogations, the accused confessed killing the 70-year-old cocoa farmer for accusing him of stealing the cocoa beans.
The court says the decision is to give ample time to the police to conduct their investigation into the matter.
The three accused persons including the third suspect who is alleged to have been hired by the Tufuhene Nana Clark and another accomplice Michael Darko to dig the hole that was used in burying the victim appeared before the court today.
The charge against the three still remains conspiracy to wit murder and murder, contrary to section 46 of the Criminal and other Offences Act 1980, Act 29.
They have been remanded into police custody to reappear on October 18, 2022.
A family at Nuanua Asubone in the Assin South District of the Central Region is outraged over the missing corpse of their relative which was deposited at the St. Xavier Hospital Mortuary in Assin Fosu for preservation.
The final funeral rite of the 57-year-old deceased, Linda Obiri Akufo, was arranged to be held on October 1 and 2nd October 2022 respectively.
But astonishingly the facility authorities could not provide the corpse when the family went to collect it for burial.
This triggered anger and the police had to intervene to calm down tempers.
According to the husband of the deceased, Nana Atua ‘I’ who doubles as the Ankobiahene of Nunua Asubone, all the necessary arrangements had been made including food and drinks only to be told the body cannot be found.
The family, therefore, had no option but to call off the funeral as the faces of sympathizers who had traveled from the length and breadth of the country to mourn were flooded with disappointment and dismay.
Meanwhile, the Assemblymember of Assin Adiembra Electoral Area, Mr. George Oliver Gyimah said after a series of engagements with the hospital management, the facility authorities have pleaded for two weeks to search for the body.
The angry family members suspect that the corpse has been sold by the Hospital Authorities.
Meanwhile, the Sister In-Charge of the St. Francis Xavier Hospital, Georgina Donzing implored the public to keep reposing trust in them, “though it’s a human institution and such thing could happen once a while, stringent measures are in place to ensure it does not happen at all.
The case has been reported to the police for investigation
Personnel from the Central Regional Police Command have arrested a third person in connection with the murder of Ms. Georgina Asor Botchwey, according to a Ghana News Agency report.
The suspect, 26-year-old mason, who was identified as Abbey, is said to have been contracted by one of the accused persons to dig the pit in which the victim was hurriedly buried.
Abbey is said to be an in-law of ‘contractor’ Christopher Ekow Quansah, (Nana Clarke) the Tufuhen of Mankessim, who is facing charges of murder along with self-styled pastor, Michael Darko (Sofo Kofi).
The GNA report said Quansah, confessed to have hired the husband of one Esi Akyere to dig the pit in his houses at Mankessim.
Police with the support of the chiefs arrested Abbey who happens to be a member
of the community youth volunteer group. He confessed receiving GH¢50in two installments after earlier denying that he had been contracted.
Abbey said the Tufohen paid him a first instalments of ¢20 and ¢30 after he had completed the task.
Baffled by the revelation of the suspect, the sources said, the chiefs assembled all the members of the Youth Volunteer Group and impressed on them to confess if they were complicit in the murder case, but they all denied any knowledge of it, the GNA report added.
Meanwhile, family of the victim were a the Cape Coast Regional Hospital mortuary where they identified the body of Ms. Botchwey.
There are emerging details of how two men gruesomely murdered a 25-year-old lady at Mankessim in the Central Region of Ghana.
The body of Georgina Asor Botchwey was exhumed from the house of the Tufuhene of Akwakrom, Nana Onyaa Clark, who is now facing murder charges together with a fiancé of the deceased’s sister, Michael Darko.
Darko, who resides in Kumasi, is said to have requested to meet up with Georgina when she travelled from Yeji to attend an admission interview at the Ankarful Nursing Training School.
After Georgina concluded her interview, she was picked up by Darko in the company of Nana Clark in a taxicab on September 9, 2022.
They subsequently drove to where the chief had parked his Mercedes Benz with registration number GT 8686 C.
The two then sent their victim to Nana Clark’s apartment at Akwakrom, where they took away her phone and locked her up in a room.
They later went to Sikafoambantem, another suburb of Mankessim, where the chief had another building and dug a hole in the uncompleted building.
They then came back and picked up their victim from Akwakrom Sikafoambantem. Nana Clark is then said to have hit the young lady with a club while Darko held her neck until she died.
They then buried her in the hole they had dug after shaving her.
This new report reveals how the suspects who have confessed to killing the victim for ritual purposes carried out their plan.
The suspects who have been remanded into custody are to reappear on Tuesday, October 4, 2022.
They have been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, to wit murder and murder contrary to section 46 of the Criminal and Offences Acts 1980, Act 29.
Residents of the Twifo Atti Morkwa (TAM) District of the Central Region have called on the government to expedite work on road construction projects in the district.
They, particularly, stated that the government must speed up work on the various road projects to ensure foodstuffs from the hinterlands do not go to waste but the district is opened up for economic activities to thrive.
While commending the government for the work done so far on the Twifo Praso-Dunkwa Offin road and the Twifo Praso – Assin Fosu road, they said that work must be sped up on this and other road projects being undertaken in the district.
A driver, who plies the Twifo Praso-Assin Fosu road, Dacosta Kumi, said though work on the road had significantly improved there was a lot more work to be done.
“Before the construction work began, we could not move when it rained. At a point the driver unions had to poll resources to make the road motorable but now the story is different, the road has improved significantly but there is still work to be done,” he said.
Mr Kumi noted that the Awroso-Adiembra section of the road on the Twifo Praso-Assin Fosu road was still in a deplorable state.
A station master with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) Branch Number 5 at Twifo Praso, Andrews Brobbey, urged the government to ensure that contractors were on site to speed up work.
A transport officer, Mutalla Mohammed, also called for work on the Kyeaboso-Hasowodze road to be expedited.
Commendation
The commercial drivers, who spoke with the Daily Graphic, commended the government for work done on two major roads in the district which had reduced travel stress and time.
They cited the Twifo Praso-Dunkwa Offin road and the Twifo Praso-Assin Fosu, which were both under construction as critical to the district’s economic wellbeing and growth.
According to some of the drivers, travelling time from Twifo Praso to Assin Fosu had reduced by about an hour.
An officer with the GPRTU Number 3, Joseph Kwame Boadu, said the Twifo Praso – Dunkwa road had seen tremendous improvement.
“Before the construction works, it could take drivers two and a half or three hours to get to Dunkwa on Offin. The road was rocky and stressful to travel on. Now the culverts and bridges are being done and now you can get to Dunkwa in two hours,” he stated.
He also commended the assembly for work on the Twifo Praso-Opokukrom-Bemponegya road, which is also under construction.
The District Chief Executive for TAM, Robert Agyeman Nyantakyi, said the Ateiku-Bonsaho, Ateiku-Nyansi Junction and Ayaase-Agona road construction had stalled, making them unmotorable, while contractors had severally said they were going to mobilise resources for the continuation of the projects.
Twifo Praso town roads
The Twifo Praso inner town roads are also in a deplorable state.
Mr Nyantakyi further indicated that while he had received assurances that 10-kilometres of the Twifo Praso town roads were to be asphalted, this had not yet materialised.
He said the Twifo Praso town roads project would also, hopefully, be accelerated to ensure ease of accessibility in the town.
Mr Nyantakyi said he was optimistic that the town roads could possibly be given to contractors of the bridge to enable them to begin work.
He explained that Twifo Praso was the central point for commercial activities for the district’s more that 180 communities and needed to be accessible.
Food basket
Mr Nyantakyi noted that the district was a huge agricultural basket for the region and country, saying good roads were needed to enhance economic activities and boost trade.
The Paramount Chief for Twifo Atti Morkwa, Nana Kwesi Kenin, appealed to the government to extend the road construction to communities including Mampongmaa, Mintahso and also look at the Agona-Assin Awesam road.
Charles Owusu has called on Ghanaians, especially the youth, to stop seeking quick ways to enrich themselves.
The former Head of the Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission was alarmed by recent news of the murder of a 25-year-old trainee nurse at Mankessim in the Central Region.
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder
According to a Police statement, the two – a self-styled Pastor, Michael Darko alias Nana 1, and Christopher Ekow Clark, Tufuhene (Chief) of Akwakrom – confessed to “murdering the victim for money rituals.”
“During Police interrogation, suspect Michael Darko, who is the alleged boyfriend of the senior sister of the deceased victim and was last seen with her, led police to the location where they had buried her after the murder.”
The body has since been exhumed and deposited at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
“The two accused persons were today, 22nd September 2022 arraigned at the District Court II in Cape Coast and have been remanded to reappear before the court on October 4, 2022.”
Speaking on “Kokrokoo” programme on Peace FM, Charles Owusu wondered why people would kill to have money.
He charged the citizenry to know that it is good for one to be prosperous but this ambitious desire to be rich at all cost, thus resort to money rituals, is not the right way.
He asked the public to use appropriate means through hardwork to gain riches.
“Money cannot buy life. Let’s be careful about our desires for quick riches,” he stated.
Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital, went agog last Saturday with the return of the age-long Fetu Afahye, which was climaxed with a colourful durbar.
Thousands of visitors had trooped to the ancient city to join the indigenes for the festival, whose celebration had to be suspended for a period of two years following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that slowed down social and commercial activities around the world.
The return of the festival was, therefore, welcomed with much ecstasy and patrons were served with loads of culture, fun and excitement.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who graced the occasion, was accompanied to the durbar grounds by the ministers of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen; Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah; Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hawa Koomson, and the Central Region, Justina Marigold Assan.
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahohuo Yaw Gyebi II, and the President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu VIII, were also present.
The theme for the celebration was: “Making Cape Coast great again through tourism, education and development.”
Procession
About midday last Saturday, a procession of chiefs, dressed in colourful paraphernalia and carried in palanquins, went through the principals streets of Cape Coast.
It was preceeded by the seven Asafo companies (traditional militia), who engaged in breath-taking performances.
The chiefs, who danced gracefully in their palanquins, received homage and cheers from their subjects and patrons, including local and foreign tourists who had lined up the streets.
Other highlights of the festival were the famous Orange Friday carnival, Bakatue, a health walk and the Oman purification rites.
Commendation
President Akufo-Addo commended the chiefs and the people of the area for sustaining the festival and making Cape Coast a centre of attraction in the country.
He also commended the traditional council and planners of the festival for the choice of theme: “Making Cape Coast great again through education, tourism and development”, saying it would help turn the fortunes of the city around.
“It is very much in accordance with my vision and we will work to support the chiefs and the people of Oguaa in this endeavour,†he added.
Creation of opportunities
The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, said the festival served as a platform to create opportunities for the socio-economic growth of the metropolis.
She said the youth, particularly, should use the festival as a basis to rethink and reassess themselves on how they could improve their capacity, including re-igniting the spirit of communalism and volunteerism to support the accelerated development of the area.
The Omanhene of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, urged the people to come together for the betterment of the city.
He said the traditional area was prepared to support efforts by both private and public institutions to increase the visibility of Cape Coast.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MAMDEV Ghana Limited, a headline sponsor of the festival, Kojo Mamphey, said: “If we want to make Cape Coast great again, then it is up to all of us to work together to accomplish this and not just leave it to one entity.”
On November 5, 2022, the late Highlife musician, AB Crentsil, will be laid to rest in Ewoyaa, close to Saltpond in the Central Region.
This was announced at his memorial service which was held a week after his death on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at the Bethel MethodistChurch in Tema Community 8.
A family member, Joseph Kofi Quainoo who announced the funeral and burial plans said a wake keeping and thanksgiving service will be held on November 4 and 6 respectively.
The Highlife star died at The Bank Hospital, Accra on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
The memorial service was characterised by the singing of a series of hymns, a biography of the deceased and brief eulogies from selected guests.
Many sympathisers, friends and family converged at the Bethel Methodist Church and later at the Community 8 Park in Tema to celebrate the life of Highlife great, AB Crentsil.
Also in attendance are political figures mostly from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Former President John Dramani Mahama was in attendance to mourn the late AB Crentsil, who he described as a personal friend.
He eulogised AB Crentsil for his music prowess and stage craft.
Mr Mahama was accompanied by the General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC, Joseph Ade Coker, some Members of Parliament including, Isaac Ashai Odamtten,( Tema East), Joseph Tetteh, (Kpone Katamanso) and other officials of the party in the Tema East, Central and West constituencies.
Also present are a number of musicians and officials of the Musican Union of Ghana(MUSIGA) and other players in the creative industry including, Diana Hopson, Bice Osei Kuffour(Obour), who is also MD for Ghana Post, Rex Omar, Ahuma Ocansey,, Clement Bonney, known in showbiz circles as Mr Beautiful, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah(KKD), Bessa Simmons, Lady Talata, Smart Nkansah among others.
Biography
Alfred Benjamin Crentsil, known in local and intemational music circles as AB Crentsil, was born to Alfred Benjamin Crentsil Snr and Esi Yaaba on January 15 1943 at Prestea in the Westem Region.
He had his formal elementary schoo! education at the Bedu Addo Methodist Primary and Rev. Cleveland Middle Schools.
After his middie school education, he was apprenticed as an electrician, following in the footsteps of his father who was himself an astute electrician, employed in the service of the Railway Company in Takoradi.
However, this venture was shortlived, because his interest in music, which seed was planted at the tender age of thirteen (13) years while in Middle School under the tutorship of his mentor, Mr. Tandoh, gradually superseded any interest he had developed in the trade he was engaged in.
In no time, he abandoned the trade and engaged all his energies in pursuing music as a career.
AB Crentsil quickly mastered the rudiments of guitar playing and readied himself to play in live bands.
He was profoundly gifted in the art of music composition and vocals. With these hamessed talents tucked under his armpit, he joined his first band, Strollers Dance Band which was based in Takoradi, in 1968. Subsequentty, he played in other bands such Os Lantics in Takoradi and El Dorados at Aboso.
He was a founding member of the Sweet Talks Band which was based at the Talk Of The Town Hotel in Community No. 2, Tema, alongside seasoned musicians such as Smart Nkansah, the late Jewel Ackah and Pope Flynn. He formed his own band the Ahenfo Band in 1982.
AB Crentsil had 25 albums to his credit: some of his songs which caught both local and international attention are Papa Samo, Landlord Abodwese, Devil, Osokoo among others.
AB Crentsil was baptised into the Methodist Church from infancy and remained in the faith until his demise. For a good part of the fifty-two (52) years that he lived in Tema, he worshipped at the Bethel Methodist Church at Community No. 8, Tema.
AB Crentsil left behind his beloved wife Elizabeth and eight children.
Sermon
The Bishop of the Tema Diocese and Chairman of the College of Bishops, Action Chapel International, Bishop Koffy Oko-Adjei in a brief sermon on the theme, Impossible to finish all said as humans, it is not possible to finish our tasks on earth adding that people must pitch their task on earth on Christ, who is the only one who was able to accomplish whatever task was assigned to Him by God.
Very Rev Major Ebo Ephraim (rtd) Superintendent Minister, Tema North Circuit of the Methodist Church who presided over the service urged all to remember the family in prayers.
Two persons died in a terrible accident at Enyan Abaasa in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam District of the Central Region during a one-week observation of the death of a friend.
The sad incident happened on July 19, 2022, at around 5:30 PM.
According to a report gathered by Kasapa News’ Yaw Boagyan, the two, Alfred Oduro, 30 years popularly known as “Wontumi†and another man believed to be in his 60s were riding a tricycle haphazardly in the town during a week celebration.
Unfortunately, the tricycle failed its brakes and hit a wall resulting in their death.
The bodies of the two have been deposited at the Ajumako Government Hospital Mortuary.
Ghana Police Servicehave arrested six people suspected to be involved in the lynching of a 28-year-old mechanic in Aburansa in the Central Region.
According to adomonline.com, the 28-year-old mechanic, Festus Eduafo, was lynched because some residents claimed he looked like a murderer.
The report indicated that the victim was on his way to Aborbeano to visit his son.
In an interview with Adom News, personnel of the Central Region Police Command, who confirmed the arrest, said that the six suspects will assist with the investigation into the matter.
The police source said that it will do all it can to bring all the perpetrators to book.
Also, the Assemblyman for Ekumfi Asaasa Electoral Area, Prince Dankwa, urged the community members to assist the police with the investigation and commended the police for the work they had done so far.
Meanwhile, the father of the deceased, Joseph Amakye, has said that he is utterly dismayed by the death of his son, adding that he is yet to come to terms with it.
The Odikro of Yamoransa who also doubles as the Obaatan of Nkusukum Traditional Council in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region, Nana Beenyi III has lamented how drug addicts have taken over the Mankessim market, one of the biggest Market centers in the Central Region.
According to the Chief, the level at which armed robbers and drug addicts have taken over the Mankessim market is beyond his understanding.
He said the rampant killing of people in the Mfantseman Municipality is very worrying and tarnishing the image of the area.
He is therefore charging the security officers in the Mfantseman Municipality to beef up security to ensure that law-abiding residents go about their activities safely and in peace.
“We always get reports of unscrupulous persons snatching peoples bags, properties, murdering people, particularly in the Mankessim market which police must act immediately to stop the development.
Nana Beenyi III was speaking at the launch of the 2022 Odambea Festival at Yamoransa.
He appealed to all Natives from the Nkusukum Traditional Council to come home and celebrate the Festival and join in developing the Nkusukum Traditional area.
The Central Regional Health Directorate has disclosed that the Coronavirus(COVID-19) vaccines in stock are expiring as residents in the Central Region have stopped taking the vaccines.
According to the Directorate, residents in the region are reluctant to take the vaccine after the government eased restrictions on the pandemic in the country.
Addressing the media during a Press Conference, the Central Regional Health Director, Dr. Akosua Agyeiwa Owusu Sarpong said only 50 percent of people in the region have taken the single dose of the vaccines.
He added that 32 percent have received two doses while four percent have received the boosters.
The Health Director also indicated that out of over one million vaccines for the region, three hundred thousand have been administered, though the target was to immunize seven hundred thousand.
She added that the patronage has been very low as compared to when the restrictions were still in force.
Madam Owusu Sarpong appealed to residents in the Central Region to get vaccinated adding that the vaccines are available in all the Health Centers in the region.
Background
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in March announced sea and land borders which were shut in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak will be opened.
The President also announced that fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed entry into the country without a negative PRC test.
“As from tomorrow, Monday, March 28, all land and sea borders will be opened. Fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed entry through the land and sea borders without a negative PCR test result from the country of origin
“Citizens and foreign residents in Ghana, who are not fully vaccinated, will have to produce a negative 48-hour PCR test result, and will be offered vaccination on arrival,†the President announced in his 28th address since the pandemic on Sunday, March 27, 2022,†he added.
President Akufo-Addo also stated that wearing of facemask is no more mandatory in the country.
“All in-person activities, such as those that take place in churches, mosques, conferences, workshops, private parties and events, cinemas, and theatres may resume at full capacity, as long as the audience and/or participants are fully vaccinated. Hand washing and hand sanitising points should be made available at these venues.
“Outdoor functions at sporting events, entertainment spots, political rallies and funerals may resume at full capacity, again, as long as all persons at these events are fully vaccinated.â€
One hundred and forty-six persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Central Region have fully recovered.
Dr Akosua Owusu-Sarpong, the Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), briefing stakeholders on the status of the disease in the Region, said 9,570 of the 11,754 specimen sent to the various testing centres came out negative.
Results for the remaining were yet to be ready, she told the meeting, attended by metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives, heads of senior and basic schools, regional and district health directors, the police and heads of department and agencies.
It was to establish a clear cut operational instructions for the re-opening of basic and senior high schools.
Dr Owusu-Sarpong said the patients were being treatment at designated health facilities including the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital, Trauma Specialist Hospital at Winneba, and the Ajumako Hospital.
The rest are the Dunkwa-On-Offin Hospital, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, and Pentecost Convention Centre. Others are also being treated at home.
The Cape Coast Metropolis has the highest number of confirmed cases of 169, followed by KEEA – 104, Mfantseman 74, and Awutu Senya East – 67.
The Assin North has eight, Gomoa East six, Ajumako – 22, Agona West – six, Gomoa West-22, Ekumfi-five, Agona East – six, Twifo Atimokwa-11, Upper Denkyira East-27, AOB – four, Assin Fosu – 33, Assin South – four and Gomoa Central – two.
Dr Owusu-Sarpong said the Directorate continued to receive personal protective equipment from the Government and other benevolent organisations and individuals, which they distribute to the various health facilities.
She said the GHS would continue to engage the various stakeholders in ensuring that the safety protocols were adhered to through radio discussions and community information centres among other mediums.
Dr Owusu-Sarpong said the GHS had begun engagement with District Directors of Education and schools on the measures to be instituted before re-opening.
She said all senior high schools had been linked to specific health institutions with nurses to monitor their activities for quick intervention if the need arose.
She called for enhanced routine surveillance in the schools to swiftly handle any suspected case.
She noted that many people did not wear nose masks when in public and cautioned that the only way to prevent getting infected was to adhere strictly to the protocols.
A 23-year-old taxi driver has been killed and his body dumped in a nearby bush at Gomoa Ankamu in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region.
It is believed his killers must have hired him from the Mankessim enclave, killed him and took away his car.
A resident, Joe Abekah told Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan that the deceased had lots of deep cuts on his head.
He said the body has been conveyed by Apam District Police Command to Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital Mortuary for preservation whiles investigations ongoing.
Meanwhile, Assemblyman for Gomoa Ankamu-Simbrofo Electoral area, Isaac Kelly Arthur in an interview expressed worry over the increasing number of such crimes in the area.
He said, “What the armed robbers do is that when they see a new taxi cab, they hire and direct the driver towards a bushy area and try to kill the driver and take the car away.”
“The Police patrol in this area must be stepped up to prevent such crimes from being committed.â€
The Deputy Central Regional Director of Health in charge of Public Health, Dr. Kwabena Sarpong has disclosed that the Central Region has recorded seven positive confirmed cases of COVID-19.
According to him, the Region had earlier recorded only two positive cases but five more were recorded after a contact-tracing was conducted by health officials.
Three of the infected persons are women and four are men with their ages ranging from twenty to seventy.
One of the patients came from outside Central Region, another from Komenda Edina Eguafo Abraim District and five from Cape Coast.
Dr. Kwabena Sarpong disclosed that almost all the positive cases recorded in the Region were having no symptoms of the virus.
“They were not coughing, sneezing, their temperature was normal but when we took their samples for testing it came out positive,†he said.
The patients are currently being treated at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital while further contact tracing is being conducted.
Central Region Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has tasked District Chief Executives (DCEs) and health authorities in the Region to designate schools in every district to serve as centres to manage suspected coronavirus cases.
The schools, according to the minister, would be equipped with medical facilities by the Ghana Health Service to enable them to deal with any suspected case of coronavirus.
Central Region remains one of the regions yet to record a case of Covid-19 and Kwamena Duncan does not want to take chances.
He told a meeting of DCEs and health professionals in the region that the region does not want to be caught unprepared in the coronavirus fight and thus adequate measures must be put in place to reduce the spread of the virus.
Should a district in the region get a suspected case, the minister wants it to be handled in the District through schools that have been designated by the educational authorities and equipped by the District health directorates.
“We just want to be caught unprepared when there is a suspected case. The DCEs have to liaise with the District educational directorates to designate at least a school to manage such cases when they arise,†he said.
The designated schools, according to the minister would be equipped with medical equipment to get it ready for the intended purpose.
“The District health directorate should work with the MMDCEs to equip the schools that have been designated,†he intimated.
The Regional Minister also asked for a District Rapid Response team, comprising health professionals, District education Authorities, the security agencies, to be put in place to deal with suspected cases when they are reported
Central Regional Director of Health Dr. Akosua Agyeiwaa Owusu-Sarpong assured the Minister, the health staff to be used to form the rapid response team has been trained already and are ready for the task in every District.
The Regional Minister asked the regional directorate of health to immediately distribute all medical and sanitary items that have been donated to the districts where they can be used for the intended purpose
