Police intelligence operations have led to the arrest of three suspects for their involvement in a mobile money robbery at Kasoa, on December 20, 2022.
Police investigations so far indicate that the suspects, armed with a pump-action gun, concealed in a baby diaper sack, attacked and shot a mobile money merchant, at his business centre.
According to the police statement, the suspects were so heartless that as the victim attempted to flee for his life they pursued him, shot him from behind and robbed him of an unspecified amount of money.
Gun retrieved by police
Investigation and intelligence operations led to the retrieval of a pump-action and the arrest of suspects, Michael Otu, alias Rider, Godfred Okine and Asaa Faisal alias Commander, who has been described by the other suspects as the mastermind behind the robbery and provides the gang with weapons.
Suspect Godfred Okine, later complained of ill health and was rushed to the hospital but died while receiving medical attention.
His body has been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
An initial investigation into his demise by the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) established that the deceased suspect was handled professionally by the officers from the time he was arrested until his passing.
The PPSB has also made contact with the family of the deceased suspect as part of its investigation.
The two other suspects, Michael Otu and Asaa Faisal were put before the Ofaakor District Court on December 29, 2022, and were remanded into Police custody to reappear in court on January 12, 2023.
The injured victim is receiving medical treatment and is in stable condition.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway, to arrest the other suspect who is on the run.
The dead body of a young man has been discovered at the banks of the Densu River, near the Kasoa Tollbooth, in the Ga South Municipality.
Although the actual cause of the death is unknown, reports indicate that he committed suicide.
The young man is said to have hanged at the banks of the Densu River, near the Kasoa Tollbooth, in the Ga South Municipality – a situation that eventually led to his death.
Horticulturists along the river said the body of the man was seen hanging in one of the trees on Monday, December 19, when they arrived at work.
An identification card with the name Francis Rogbor and a mobile phone without a SIM card was found on him.
The body has been transported to the Police Hospital morgue.
A call placed with the phone by the Police was received by a family member of the deceased who confirmed that the deceased until his demise, was residing at Top Town, a suburb of Ngleshie Amanfrom.
Workers around said this was the second time such an incident has occurred in the area.
In a related development, an alleged notorious robber was mercilessly beaten and inflicted with serious machete wounds at Gomoa Ekwamkrom in the Gomoa Central District of the Central Region when he and his gang attempted to rob someone in the area.
The alleged robber popularly known as Sika Gari would have been lynched but for the timely intervention of the Agona West District Police officers who later sent him to the hospital.
His accomplices managed to escape.
Some community members said Sika Gari had been arrested many times in connection with armed robbery incidents in the area but was left on the hook each time.
Some of the residents who expressed their frustration with his nefarious activities, gave him severe beatings and cutlass wounds until the police came to his rescue.
On Tuesday, December 2020, a Mobile Money (MoMo) vendor was robbed and shot at Big Town, a suburb of Kasoa in the Central Region.
The victim, Kelvin Nii Kpakpo, who was rushed to the hospital after the incident is battling for his life at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist hospital.
The robbery incident was captured on CCTV camera close by.
Eyewitnesses say the robbers were wielding a pump action gun and a pistol at the time they attacked the victim.
According to them, they heard continuous gunshot sounds and followed up to the scene and saw three young men between the ages of 18 and 20 firing indiscriminately.
They also saw the vendor lying in a pool of blood.
Meanwhile, the Central East Police Command are on a manhunt for the robbers.
A middle-aged man has committed suicide by hanging himself in a bush close to the Densu River on the Kasoa Toll Booth stretch.
Some eyewitnesses say they saw the incident yesterday with the man hanging on a tree.
The identity of the man is still unknown as police officers at the toll booth police station have began investigation into the death.
“I was heading to work around 5:30am when I saw the man hanging on the tree. I quickly called the police, and they came in immediately. He had his identity cards on him but the SIM card in his phone had been taken away”, an eyewitness told Citi News.
Some persons who sell along the stretch said this is not the first time someone has hung himself in the area.
“This is the second time something like this is happening here. I believe some people come here and commit this crime”, another eyewitness added.
Parts of the capital Accra have experienced another earth tremor six days after two mild tremors struck some areas in the region.
People took to social media to post about the incident, with most asking other users for confirmation if they felt it too because they were a bit sceptical and doubtful an earth tremor will occur a few days after a confirmed shake.
Of particular mention is persons residing in Kasoa, most of whom say they felt a shake around 7:30 pm on Saturday, December 17.
When the first two tremors struck on Monday, December 12, 2022, the Ghana Geological Survey Authority confirmed the incident and assured the public that investigations would be launched to ascertain the magnitude and epicentre of the shake, but that is yet to happen and Ghanaians are reported experiencing a third occurrence in less than a week
Another earth tremor just a minute ago, tell me it’s a lie coz maybe I felt it alone #EarthTremor#earthquake
Some may not be surprised at this current shake after the Principal Seismologist at the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA), Nicholas Opoku warned residents of Accra to be prepared for more earth tremors in the future after the December 12 tremor.
Mr. Opoku said the country has been recording some occasional shakes except that their magnitude wasn’t high enough to be felt.
“This is not a new thing. We have been experiencing this from time to time…even the most recent ones were in 2018, 2019, and 2020. What we have been saying all this while is that Accra and its environs are situated in the earthquake-prone zones so from time to time, we will be experiencing these minor earthquakes until such a time that a major one will occur.”
Mr. Opoku said there was a “shake that occurred on December 16 at about 5:45 am and a major one occurred at 6:03 am at a 2.7 magnitude.”
Some Chinese nationals working at quarry sites in Kasoa in the Central region on Thursday, December, 8, 2022 released dogs on the Tax Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The GRA officials were on an exercise to enforce tax compliance as part of measures to improve revenue collection in the country.
Speaking to journalists, the Head of Enforcement at the GRA, in charge of Accra Central, Joseph Annan said the Chinese nationals released the dogs immediately they saw the Tax Enforcement Unit on the site.
“We experienced some nasty encounter today. Dogs were released on us but thanks to our security officers in the name of the preventive staff”, Mr. Annan said, adding that the case will be handed over to the Attorney General’s Department.
“The case will be investigated and then the docket will be completed and handed over to our legal unit for possible prosecution”, he stressed.
Providing some details, Mr. Annan said the Tax Enforcement Unit is a special group trained to handle hostile situations, hence the team was able to calm the dogs.
“They were able to quell the situation. There are a lot of Chinese nationals operating here without paying the VAT, and when we come to enforce the law, they open their dogs. We will deal with them for trying to push us back”.
The quarry companies visited by the team are Executive Quarry, Pilot Stone Quarry, Tonnisco Quarry and Hao Xin Quarry.
“They are all Chinese companies operating in Ghana without paying the VAT”, Mr. Annan said.
Before the exercise, the team undertook an earlier operation in the Shai-Osudoku Municipality where some quarry companies were shut down for not paying taxes.
The quarry companies included Top Stone Quarry, Uniafrika Quarry, Massaike and Sabbagh Ltd.
The rest are Derby Quarry, Orient Quarry, and Twin Rock Quarry.
Mr. Annan announced that the GRA will turn its attention to operators in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry to ensure that the right taxes are paid during the festive season.
According to the GRA, there are close to 100 grand events slated for December which will be keenly monitored by the authority for tax compliance.
Prosecutors, lawyers, litigants and relatives of accused persons standing trial at the Ofaakor Circuit Courtin Kasoa have been left frustrated and wailing in the past month due to the absence of a presiding judge at the court.
This follows the promotion of the substantive judge, Mr Ebenezer Osei Darko, to the High Court and his subsequent departure on Friday, September 30 this year.
Consequently, all ongoing cases in the court have stalled, fresh cases are on hold while accused persons and remand prisoners are all locked up in cells.
A source close to the Court that spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on condition of anonymity expressed frustrations with the situation, indicating how it affected the work of the police, lawyers and all other parties.
The source said the work of the court had been thrown out of gear as various parties trooped in and out without any show.
“The court is really frustrated; we are all frustrated. It is affecting the cases that the police are doing in Kasoa and its environs. Remand prisoners are all locked up in cells and as we all know, Kasoa is a busy place,” the source lamented.
It said since the courts could not be closed, only went to seek adjournments from the clerks at the detriment of the litigants and accused persons.
Relatives of some accused persons are peeved by the situation and had accused the court of subjecting their relatives to injustice by holding them up in the cells unduly, it further revealed.
The source, therefore, appealed to the State to immediately provide the court with a judge to keep it running.
“Relatives are complaining bitterly, the lawyers are not happy and our workload keeps piling up. Honestly, they think the wheel of justice has grounded to a halt here.
“Our appeal is for the State to give us a substantive judge as soon as possible to help us do our work and reduce everybody’s burden,” the source added.
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
A man, 40, identified by a search team as Kwesi Alhaji, has been found dead in front of an uncompleted building at Kasoa Opeikuma High-tension in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region.
He was in a shirt and boxer shorts.
He was found by a young man who went hunting for game in the bush.
A resident, Mr Okyere Boateng, told the media that a young man informed him about a pungent smell in the area whilst hunting for bush meat.
Mr Okyere said he organised some people and moved to the scene only to discover the almost decomposed body lying near the uncompleted building in the bush.
He said he then informed his landlord, who reported the matter to the police.
The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) together with Ghana Police have conveyed the decomposed body to the mortuary.
Mr Kwame Amoah, the Awutu Senya East Municipal NADMO Director, in an interview, said a mobile phone and a financial saving book with the name Kwesi Alhaji were found on him.
He said the cause of the death was currently unknown and urged the public to help the Ofaakor Police Command to look for the dead man’s relatives.
Renowned economist and businessman, Dr. Kofi Amoah, has berated the government for failing to regulate the activities of religious organisations in Ghana.
In a tweet shared on Saturday, October 9, Dr. Amoah intimated that the government’s failure to regularize religious activities has led to the influx of phoney entities who end up scamming Ghanaians.
He questioned why the government looks unperturbed as Ghanaians are continuously scammed by fake religious leaders like Agradaa as countries such as Rwanda crack down on this menace.
“People are continuously robbed of their savings thru deceptions n promises of fake pastors. Good govts protect citizens from such scams.
“Rwanda closed down 700 fake churches n 200 mosques over nite. Why do our political leaders look on unconcerned? WHY?” parts of the tweet read.
Dr. Amoah made these remarks while reacting to a report by GhanaWeb that scores of people who went to the church of one-time fetish priestess, Nana Agradaa, now known as Evangelist Mama Pat, are crying foul in what they described as a scam by the repented woman.
In several short video clips that have since gone viral in the last few hours, a number of the victims are seen running away from the church building of Evangelist Mama Pat, even as many raised alarms about the fact that they had been deceived and scammed.
GhanaWeb’s further checks showed that the people were at the church in their numbers on the day because the repented priestess had earlier advertised through her television channel that she was going to give out monies to people.
She is also said to have advertised that she would double monies that are brought to her church, Heavenway Champion International Ministry, on the day.
However, as has been typical of her, particularly from the days when she was a fetish priestess, it seems the evangelist only played on the gullibility of the scores of people who appeared at her church to extort monies from them.
When she was done, as has been shared in a number of the videos available to GhanaWeb, she booted them out of the building, aided by her well-built bodyguards.
A number of the affected people are also heard ranting and calling her out.
“This is Agradaa’s church, Heavenway, and she advertised on her TV station that she was going to share monies to everyone only for us to get here, and she rather collects monies from people. She told people to bring ten million (GHc10,000) and come for two billion (GHc200,000) after which she asked people to leave the church. Things immediately turned chaotic here,” a lady giving voice commentary in one of the videos said.
People are continuously robbed of their savings thru deceptions n promises of fake pastors
Good govts protect citizens from such scams
Rwanda closed down 700 fake churches n 200 mosques over nite
Why do our political leaders look on unconcerned? WHY? ???????? https://t.co/s2IpLN74XI
It is the last constituency in the Greater Accra Region before entering the Central Region at Kasoa.
With a voter population of 111,000 going by the 2020 general election, Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro Constituency in the Ga South Municipality has been grappling with multiple developmental issues since its creation in 2012.
Bordered by the Weija-Gbawe Constituency to the east, Awutu Senya East Constituency to the western north, the Gomoa East Constituency to the western south area and Domeabra-Obom Constituency to the north, this coastal constituency covers Aplaku, Bortianor, Oshiyie, Kokrobite, Tuba and parts of Weija.
Swing constituency
Although relatively young, the constituency, one of the 34 constituencies in the region, has politically become a swing seat. It has since its creation voted both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs).
Its current MP is Sylvester Tetteh, who clinched the seat on the ticket of the NPP in 2020. He is the third MP of the constituency.
Saad Habib was his predecessor, who also stood on the ticket of the NPP to assume that office in 2016, while the NDC MP for the area, Bright Kodzo Demordzi, was the pacesetter in running the affairs of the constituency in 2012.
The 2024 Elections, therefore, remain the litmus test case for the ruling NPP and the opposition NDC as to who will clinch that seat and represent the constituency in the Ninth Parliament from January 7, 2025.
Demographics
The constituency has a mix of both formal and informal workers made up of politicians, civil and public servants, teachers, traders, commercial drivers, fishermen and farmers, among others.
1DIF
In spite of challenges, the constituency is a beneficiary of two factories currently operating under the government’s One-District, one-factory policy. One of them, Everpure Ghana Limited, is sited at Tomefa in Ngleshie Amanfro. The factory produces sachet and bottled water. The other factory established to produce diapers, known as Sunda International, is located at Dunkona.
Major Challenges
Bad roads, inadequate drains, bridges, perennial flooding and faulty or inadequate streetlights are among the major challenges facing the constituency.
Other challenges are youth unemployment with some involved in land guardism, lack of potable water and security.
Roads
Just about two per cent of the 1,700 kilometres of the roads in the area have been tarred.
Four taxi drivers at the Galilea Market taxi rank, Nyavlo Mawuli, Emmanuel Mensah, Richard Agyakwa and Christopher Yaw Ahiable, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, called for the roads, bridges, drains and streetlights to be properly examined and fixed.
They said a good stretch of road at Aplaku, and that leading from Ajasco Junction to Red Top the West Hills Mall were in deplorable state. Kuwait, Holy Market and Emmanuel Estates roads need to be put in good shape.
They also mentioned the non-functional streetlights in some areas including around the Ga South Municipal Assembly that must be urgently fixed.
The taxi drivers were of the view that most of the gutters and drains in the constituency had not been either desilted or were defective thereby causing flooding and damage to the roads.
Two teachers, Florence Baidoo and Justus Abban, also reiterated the need to provide more drains and fix the bad roads around the Ngleshi Amanfro Kingstown Black Gate area.
Flooding in the area, they explained, could be minimised if the drains were provided. It would also help to reduce the negative impact on the deplorable roads.
Opinion leaders
Two opinion leaders, Francis Tetteh and Nii Armah Bannerman, both expressed worry about the floods in the area, which they noted was usually caused by unauthorised structures built on watercourses.
A trader, Rosemary Addai, described the Kingstown area of Ngleshi Amanfro as “an SOS situation” because the lack of drainage systems and properly laid out roads and lanes result in intense flooding.
She pointed out that areas such as the Black Gate stretch through to Fear God and the Darius International School vicinities were among the most affected areas of flooding during the rainy season.
The residents, therefore, called on the Ga South Municipal Assembly and the MP to push harder to save the situation as well as the residents.
Opposition
The Constituency Secretary of the NDC, Sam Ampiah said from Red Top to New Bortianor to Broadcasting area there were many houses that did not have pipe-borne water and so they have drilled boreholes to provide water for the households.
“You need to have a borehole, if you don’t drill it, you will be compelled to buy at least GH¢700 worth of water from water tanker operators per week,” he stated.
The secretary, therefore, called on the government to fast track the pace of development in the constituency because its level of infrastructure, particularly the roads, was not the best.
Some residents, including commercial drivers, teachers, opinion leaders and traders, also expressed concerns about the challenges and called on duty bearers to urgently address them.
Projects
When contacted, the Municipal Chief Executive for the Ga South Municipal Assembly, Joseph Nyarni Stephen, outlined some projects which were ready for inauguration.
They include a Divisional Police Headquarters at Tuba and a community centre at Ngleshie Amanfro.
Other projects are at various stages of completion include the male ward at Ngleshie Amanfro Polyclinic, the Mother and Child Unit at Obom Health Centre and a two-storey six unit classroom block at Ashalaja.
Work is also ongoing to complete a two-unit Kindergarten block at the Bortianor Municipal Assembly (M/A) Basic School.
Acknowledgement
The MP for the area, Slyvester Tetteh told the Daily Graphic that at the time he assumed office, less than two per cent of the 1,700 kilometres of the roads in the area had been tarred, saying that “it tells you the enormity of the challenge we have in the road sector”.
He admitted being aware of the displeasure of residents about the poor state of roads in the communities.
Mr Tetteh, however, revealed that funding had been a challenge for successive governments to be able to put roads in the area in good shape.
“I am very much aware of the challenges but I never promised that I was going to fix all roads; rather I pledged to play an advocacy role and lobby for the road sector to get a facelift,” Mr Tetteh indicated.
Minister visits
The MP stated that apart from bringing the sector minister to assess the poor roads himself to understand the nature of the problem in the constituency, he had initiated steps to get some of them to be awarded on contract.
They include the Broadcasting and American roads, which had been tarred but yet to be asphalted to give it a longer lifespan.
The Finney Hospital road and Bortianor-Chokome road were awarded but the contractors abandoned sites and the projects had been rewarded on contract, Mr Tetteh explained.
The MP further stated that Amanfro and New Bortianor roads now had asphalt overlays.
He said about 30km of key roads had been approved for construction. They include the Ajasco to Red Top area popularly called Odakona to the West Hills Mall area.
A contract has also been signed for the rehabilitation of the 6.4km Chinese-Red Top-Ajasco junction road.
Other areas earmarked for rehabilitation are the Fulani area in New Bortianor, Babadogo, Odasiman, Lighthouse areas, and Akpasa enclave to Ayalolo in Bortianor.
The biggest of all the contracts awarded described as the coastal roads is the 24km old barrier to Tuba junction road which is in a deplorable state. When completed the MP explained, it would be asphalted to give it a longer lifespan.
“This road is a very strategic road because it serves as a link road to all the tourism potentials in the entire area,” Mr Tetteh observed.
Drains, challenges
On drains, he said about 40km of drains in the constituency have been earmarked for construction.
“All that we are talking about, approvals have been given but it all boils down to the capacity of contractors and funding; this is because the government does not give mobilisation for road construction,” he further explained.
Other sectors
The MP indicated that sectors such as education, health, sports, youth employment, security, women empowerment had all received attention during his tenure.
The projects include roofing and completion of a five-bed maternity ward for Kokrobite health centre, and the employment of over 40 youth under an initiative dubbed “C.V. Clinic for Youth”.
Other projects include training of 50 women in entrepreneurship development with Seed capital provided to the beneficiaries, completion of 1,000-seater Astro Turf at Tuba, with two more earmarked for construction in communities yet to be identified.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has ordered the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to pay compensation to its customers affected by its prepayment system across the country from September to early October, this year.
This follows the failure in ECG Prepayment vending System at Volta, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkawkaw andTafo among other locations.
To demonstrate good customer service, the commission has asked ECG to pay lifeline customers GH¢15, residential customers with 10 penalty units equivalent GH¢120; non-residential customers with 20penalty units equivalent GH¢240; commercial customers with 40penalty units equivalent GH¢480 and industrial customers with 100 penalty units equivalent GH¢1,200.
Dr Ishmael Ackah in a statement issued and signed and copied to Ghanaian Times in Accra on Tuesday said the ECG would pay the compensation in the form of a one-time electricity credit from last Saturday to Friday October 7, 2022 with the compensation clearly indicated on customer receipts.
“ECG shall issue widespread notifications to inform customers of the compensation due to them and shall maintain accurate records of measures taken to comply with this order including the number of temporary staff engaged (if any), for purposes of regulatory monitoring,” he stated.
“This order is without prejudice to any additional directives the Commission may issue with respect to the incident,” he added.
Dr Ackah noted that the order was issued under sections 11 and 12 (1) and (2) of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission Act, 1997 (Act 538); and regulations 41 and 45 of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (Consumer Service) Regulations, 2020 (L12413).
He said that the law imposed a duty on public utilities to provide safe, adequate, efficient, reasonable and non-discriminatory service.
“The law also mandates the Commission to impose compensation orders among other penalties on public utilities for failure to comply with their legal obligations,” he said.
Dr Ackah said it was for that reason the commission in consideration of the inconvenience occasioned by the failures with the ECG prepayment meter system determined that ECG would pay compensation to all its affected customers.
The Executive Secretary of the PURC said that the ECG would additionally adopt immediate measures to increase staff output and responsiveness to customers.
Dr Ackah said ECG would extend the working hours at all affected locations to 8pm,
engage temporary staff to ensure that affected customers were speedily attended to and were credited with the approved compensation by October 7, 2022.
“Final resolution of the vending failure as soon as possible with minimum further inconvenience to consumers,” he added.
Filming and voicing out his frustration in the dark, a livid Derrick Kobina Bonney (DKB) was concerned about the technical challenge that has affected prepaid metering systems making it impossible for customers to top up.
The situation has led to some customers sleeping in darkness as the purchase of electricity credit for prepaid metres has sadly been interrupted.
“Prepaid network down, can’t buy lights, darkness everywhere! But I have to wait on NDC before I’ll know if I’m in darkness! Pure rubbish and nonsense!” the comedian fumed in a tweet, Thursday.
In the video clip that had the aforementioned caption, DKB could not fathom why genuine concerns are diluted for political expediency. He noted that whenever concerns are raised, there is a swift attempt by a section of the public to politicize the matter, a posture he condemned without equivocation.
“In this country, if there is a socio-economic problem bothering you and you complain about it, they’ll tell you you’re manipulated by the opposition,” he said.
“Since morning that we’ve not had prepaid to buy and our lights are off, me as a human being, as a Ghanaian, I can’t see that I don’t have light so I need to wait for NDC to tell me that I don’t have light so that I’ll complain about it and it will unpopularize NDC.”
Meanwhile, the Electricity Company of Ghanahas in a statement assured the general public of its resolve to surmount the challenge.
“Affected customers should please note that our ICT team is working assiduously to correct the anomaly and restore the system to normalcy. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this technical challenge,” parts of the statement read.
Some customers in Volta, Kumasi, Accra, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkawkaw, and Tafo have been affected by the hiccup.
The Commission, in a statement, said it was closely monitoring the situation and was in full discussions with the service provider to address the issue.
The ECG on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, informed its customers on the E-cash and PNS metering systems that due to a technical challenge, purchase of electricity credit had been interrupted, affecting customers in Volta, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkawkaw, and Tafo.
The Company on Thursday, September 29, 2022, said that it was working to rectify the technical anomaly, which had affected the purchase of electricity.
It, therefore, urged customers in the Greater Accra, Central, Eastern, Western and Volta regions to visit the Company’s district offices to purchase electricity.
Meanwhile, some customers have described the incident as unfortunate and asked the PURC to direct ECG to compensate those affected.
Three persons fear dead after some individuals suspected to be Nigerian nationals assaulted them at Kasoa Free Town, in the Awutu Senya East Municipality.
Residents of the neighborhood claim that one of the victims, who is currently undergoing medical care, assaulted a 20-year-old woman earlier after theafter an argument ensued between them.
Police sources say the lady went home and informed her Nigerian boyfriend who also organized his friends and retaliated in what appears to be a cutlass fight, leading to the three Ghanaians getting injured.
The leader of the Nigerian group, who fired gunshots during the incident, is in police custody, according to Citi News sources.
An eyewitness recounted the incident.
“We bumped into the boys fighting. They were about 9, seven of them are [reportedly] Nigerians. I do not really know what the issue is but from what I gathered, it seems one of the injured persons assaulted the lady. The lady rushed to call her Nigerian boyfriend, who came with his friends to fight back.â€
“The fight was bloody, leading to the three Ghanaians getting injured. They had cutlasses on them and were bent on hurting the Ghanaians. We quickly rushed to get help.â€
Assemblyman for the area, Mohammed Kwabena Ali wants enhanced security in the area to prevent crime.
“The street lights in the area do not work. This area has become a playing field for armed robbers. We need enhanced security in this area.â€
An Accra High Court has adjourned to July 25, the case of the two teenagers alleged to be involved in the murder of 10-year-old boy at Kasoa in the Central Region.
The court was to empanel a seven-member jury for the trial when sitting resumed today.
It said: “The main business was for us to empanel a jury. However, the jury has been involved in several cases that are being tried within the premises. To do an effective trial, I requested for a new crop of qualified men and women who are not involved in several cases to be summoned to undertake this exercise.”
“We, therefore, need to exercise patience for the administration to take up this duty. I shall, therefore, adjourn the matter,†the court said.
The two teenagers are being held over the death of Ishmael Mensah Abdallah who they allegedly lured into an uncompleted building and killed in April last year.
The accused, including a minor, hit the victim’s head with a club and a cement block several times and dropped his body in a shallow hole.
They have been charged with conspiracy and murder.
A mysterious discovery beneath the pulpit of a church at Kasoa has left residents in shock.
The incident is said to have been confirmed by the General Overseer of Christ Charismatic Convention, Pastor Billy Sunday, in whose church the discovery was made.
In an interview with Takoradi based Connect FM, a vision occurred to him about the mysterious items after he lost almost all his church members.
He noted that he rented the chapel from a landlord after a previous church had vacated the premises.
“A few months ago, I arrived at Kasoa and rented the property from a landlord who told me the place was initially being occupied by another pastor. Ever since I rented the place, all my church members vanished at once and I could not understand what the situation was, so I started praying about it,†he narrated.
Through the vision, Pastor Sunday said he decided to dismantle a concrete pulpit that had been constructed by the church that occupied the building initially.
“The old pastor had already constructed a concrete pulpit so we decided to dismantle it. As we were digging, we saw the skull of a child and the head of a cat. We prayed and exhumed the skull,†he mentioned.
Shocked by the discovery, the general overseer linked the buried skulls to the drastic dwindle in his membership adding that the items have since been burnt after a prayer was said over them.
“These are spiritual matters, the skull and cat head were evil, more so, there was life in them so we could not wait but to burn them. But I have informed the police about the issue and investigations have begun,†he added.
Pastor Sunday said a case has been filed with the police on the matter and that the police are currently looking for the pastor of the old church to apprehend him.
According to Pastor Sunday, the discovery speaks to an act of occultism done under the guise of Christianity.
He thus admonished persons practising occultism under the guise of operating churches to desist from hiding behind the Bible to perpetrate such acts.
“There are so many pastors in Ghana who are into occultism and it is not helping the work of God. We must come together as a country and expose all of them,†he concluded.
26 persons suspected to be engaged in internet fraud activities have been arrested by the Central East Regional Police Command.
The suspects largely made up of foreigners were arrested at Kasoa Iron City in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region.
According to a report by Adomonline sighted by GhanaWeb, the suspects including two females were arrested at their hideouts in an operation based on intelligence.
Among other things, the police retrieved 31 laptops, 26 assorted mobile phones, three machetes and parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and toffees.
The Regional Commander, DCOP Okyere Boaapeah, has stated that the suspects will be screened for onward prosecution.
In an advice to property owners, DCOP Boapiah has asked Ghanaian landlords to conduct proper background checks on their prospective tenants.
26 persons suspected to be engaged in internet fraud activities have been arrested by the Central East Regional Police Command.
The suspects largely made up of foreigners were arrested at Kasoa Iron City in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region.
According to a report by Adomonline sighted by GhanaWeb, the suspects including two females were arrested at their hideouts in an operation based on intelligence.
Among other things, the police retrieved 31 laptops, 26 assorted mobile phones, three machetes and parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and toffees.
The Regional Commander, DCOP Okyere Boaapeah, has stated that the suspects will be screened for onward prosecution.
In an advice to property owners, DCOP Boapiah has asked Ghanaian landlords to conduct proper background checks on their prospective tenants.
He urged that landlords, among other things, should find out the eligibility status of foreigners who come to rent their properties.
DCOP Okyere Boapeah, Commander of the newly formed Central East Police Command has stated that Kasoa is becoming notorious for crime partly because of the activities of Nigerian criminals.
The Commander made the comments during a press briefing on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, to announce the arrest of some 26 suspected Nigerian internet fraudsters at Iron City a suburb of Kasoa,
He said there were two females in the arrested party adding that they will be screened and those implicated for any offences charged to court.
DCOP Boapeah stated that the operation that led to the arrests formed part of their move to clamp down on criminal activities in Kasoa and its environs.
The operation took place at Iron City a suburb of Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East Municipality. Some items retrieved from the raid included laptops, mobile phones and substances suspected to be Indian hemp.
DCOP Okyere Boapeah, Commander of the Regional Police told journalists, the operation took place “in three houses rented by foreigners mostly Nigerians were raided … exhibits made up of 31 laptops, 26 assorted mobile phones, five machetes and substances believed to be cannabis were found in their rooms.â€
“Kasoa has gained notoriety because of these Nigerians, we have to keep surveillance on them, their activities, so that if there is anything suspicious in their movement or work, you can inform the security agencies, more especially the Police.
He admonished landlords to investigate foreign tenants properly and report to Ghana Immigration Service to ensure they have the right resident permits to be in the country.
Barely a week ago, Police under the same Command confirmed that they acted on intel and conducted an operation that led to the arrest of some 100 persons in the Kasoa enclave.
According to a Citi News report, the swoop – led by Divisional Commander DCOP Okyere Boapeah – took place at SMG arena pub which is located on the Gomoa Nyanyano stretch.
Some of the crimes police found the suspects engaged in included smoking of illegal substances while some commercial sex workers were also picked up in the process.
The suspects who are being screened comprised foreign nationals and some Ghanaians.
Felix Nyarko and Nicholas Kiki have allegedly been accused of killing eleven year old Ishmael Abdallah Mensah for ritual purposes in Kasoa.
The ages of the two accused persons had been an issue for contention as it will essentially determine the extent of punishment meted out if they are indeed found guilty for the crime.
Police prosecution were finding it difficult in ascertaining the ages of the two accused persons but the prosecutor on Tuesday May 4, told the Ofaakor District Court that they have been able to ascertain the age of one of the juvenile offenders.
Prosecutor, Chief Inspector Ernest Agbo told the court that they have been able to know the age of one of the accused persons, Felix Nyarko who is a juvenile as records at his former school shows he was born on 1st September,2005 making him 15 years.
The Police says they were unable to get any records at the said hospital the accused claims was born but they are satisfied with his school records that he will turn 16 years in September.
He prosecution further prayed the court to allow them more time to conclude the duplicate docket and forward it to the Attorney General’s Office for advise.
The case has been adjourned to May 16th 2021 while the accused persons are still in remand.
The Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Martin Eson-Benjamin has disclosed that the Kasoa Bulk Supply Point (BSP) is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2021.
The MiDA boss made this statement at the Kasoa Bulk Supply Point station on April 27, 2021.
Addressing the press at the Kasoa BSP, Mr Eson-Benjamin said the project which cost US$50 million is expected to be completed by August 2021.
“Both the Pokuase and Kasoa BSP cost US$110 million. The Pokbuase BSP is US$60 million while the Kasoa BSP is US$50 million. By the end of May the Pokuase will be completed and by the end of August, this Kasoa BSP would have been completed but inaugurating it can be any other time.
The Kasoa project is 60 percent complete. Works on the ongoing 435MVA Gas Insulated Switchgear Bulk Supply Point at Kasoa in Central Region in the Republic of Ghana is progressing speedily,†the MiDA boss told the media.
The Kasoa BSP, when completed would be the second-largest BSP in the country after the 580 MVA Pokuase BSP.
Both modern bulk supply point projects are funded by the Millennium Development Authority.
They are also part of the major infrastructural investments envisaged under the ECG Financial and Operational Turnaround (EFOT) Project.
The project would, among other things, reduce the transmission and distribution system losses suffered by GRIDCo and ECG respectively, and would ultimately improve the operational and financial performance of the utility providers.
It would, further, improve the power supply in Kasoa and its surrounding communities in the Central Region with about 250,000 customers expected to be served.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has charged the media not to give their platforms to fraudulent people and tricksters who make vain promises.
His comments follow the recent murder of a 10-year-old boy by two of his friends at Coca-Cola near the Great Lamptey Mills School, a suburb of Kasoa in the Central Region, all in the name of making quick money.
He indicated that the two suspects, alleged minors, who are aged 16 and 17, were victims of people who have been paying attention to fraudulent TV personalities.
“How could young people do this? What do they know? Unfortunately, [the] media […] are giving so much exposure to tricksters and fraudulent people, promising everything. When you look at them you should know that these are people who are themselves just bad and ignorant. That is not the way for our society to go,†Kufuor told Joy Prime in an interview monitored by GhanaWeb on Tuesday.
Kufuor further urged media houses to cut out content and people that could “defraud the societyâ€.
He admonished: “We need to do that, [the] media and, of course, the authorities too should come up and tackle all these people who are now virtually hijacking the airwaves with vain promises and trickery. They should be eradicated….â€
According to the Police, one of the suspects confessed that a spiritualist, whom they had discovered on television agreed to help them become instant billionaires if they would provide a human being and a sum of GH¢5,000.
The two, per the police charge sheet, admitted that they killed the 10-year-old Ishmael by hitting his neck with a club.
This was after luring him into an uncompleted building under the guise of selling him a video game at Lamptey Mills, a suburb of Kasoa in the Central Region.
This development has incensed a large segment of the Ghanaian society who are calling for an end to the appearance of spiritualists and Mallams on television who promise unreasonable get-rich-quick avenues for the unsuspecting youth.
Dean of the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Agyekum, popularly known as Opanyin Agyekum has vehemently resented the gruesome murder act by two teenagers at Kasoa in the Central Region.
The two teenagers named Felix Nyarko, 15, and Nicholas Kini, 17, allegedly murdered a 10-year-old boy at Lamptey Mills in Kasoa on Saturday.
The deceased, Ishmael Mensah, was a Class Four pupil of the Maranatha School.
It is believed the teenagers committed the ghastly act for ritual money purposes.
Making a submission on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” programme, Opanyin Agyekum bemoaned the teenagers’ crime blaming it on the moral corruption of the society.
According to him, the nation has lost the relevance of its cultural values which guide and govern the behaviour of people.
He also slammed the teenagers over the insatiable quest to kill a human for money.
“What at all are they looking for?. . For how long did they nurture the thought to commit murder? How many hours or days went into their planning?” he queried.
Opanyin Agyekum called for a revolution in society in order to churn out good teenagers and youth.
“We need a cultural revolution,” he stressed.
He further left a moral lesson for the Ghanaian youth saying “a good name is better than riches”.
Two people have been shot at the Church of Christ polling station at Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East constituency of the Central Region in the ongoing general elections.
The gunshots wrung from a black Toyota Land Cruiser.
The targets of the shooters were driving in a Kia saloon car.
The occupants of the two vehicles are yet to be identified.
The injured victims have been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
After the shooting incident, there more police and military personnel were deployed to beef up security in the area.
A similar shooting incident happened in the constituency during the voter registration exercise a few months ago.
The incumbent MP for the area, Mavis Hawa Koomson, claimed responsibility for pulling the trigger.
A driver and his mate have been crushed to death while six passengers are in critical condition in two separate accidents which occurred on the Kasoa Cape Coast highway in the Central Region Saturday.
The first accident happened at Potsin Junction while the second occurred at Okyereko Junction.
According to Gomoa Dominase Police, the driver of a Kia Bongo truck with the registration number GW 4138-18 tried to overtake a vehicle and crashed with a truck fully loaded with palm oil from Assin Fosu to Accra.
Police say, the driver and his mate died on the spot due to the heavy impact.
In a related development, the second accident happened at Okyereko Junction where a Sprinter Benz bus also collided with a Toyota Corolla salon car.
Confirming to Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan, ASP Bertha said six of them are in critical condition while ten others have been treated and discharge.
Those in critical condition are receiving treatment at Winneba Specialist and Trauma Hospital while Police have commenced an investigation.
The Awutu Senya East Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Stephen Ofosu Agyare, has warned that a future NDC government will investigate and prosecute anyone involved in any atrocity in the Constituency.
The Chairman said people have committed serious crimes under the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) but because they are members of the government, they are left to go uninvestigated and unprosecuted.
Chairman Ofosu Agyare gave the warning in an interview with Onua FM on Wednesday, when the station took its morning show to Kasoa.
He was commenting on alleged shooting by the Member of Parliament, Mavis Hawa Koomson ,and the burning of some motor bikes by some suspected supporters of the NPP during the voter registration exercise.
The Chairman said criminal cases do not have expired time so even if these cases have not been prosecuted, an NDC government will ensure that these people are brought to book.
Some three commercial motorbike riders in Kasoa in the Central Region assisted by a police officer last Wednesday arrested and handed over two fake policemen who had mounted a roadblock on the Akweley Road and were acting as police officers solely to extort money from road users
The suspects Bismark Asabre and Bright David Mensah, an interdicted police officer who was with the Formed Police Unit(FPU), had mounted the road block at Adom Estate and were mercilessly taking at least GHc20from road users, especially the commercial riders, for trumped up road officers.
The fake officers were not in uniform but had proof that they were police officers in service.
But the commercial riders suspected that the two men, who seemed too eager to ask for the money, could not possibly be genuine officers. They promptly raised an alarm, called on the police and got them arrested.
According to the Kasoa Divisional Police Command, items retrieved from the suspects included: “a pair of handcuffs with no inscription, a shocker, ZTE Gota, SQ90 mobile phone, Nato pepper spray, Ghana Police card bearing the name of Sergeant Bismark Asabre, Infinix x5, a Samsung cell phone and cash amount of GH ¢75.00 being the proceeds of the extortion.â€
The suspects have been detained for further investigations and will be charged for the following: conspiracy to commit crime, namely: extortion contrary to section 23 of criminal offences act 1960 (ACT 29); extortion, contrary to section 151 of criminal offences act, 1960(ACT 29); and falsely pretending to be public officer (section 237 of criminal offences act 1960 (act 29).
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has described as “disturbing and totally unacceptableâ€, the violent events that occurred at Banda Ahenkro in the Bono Region and the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region during the ongoing voter registration exercise.
In the Bono Region, a graduate teacher was killed during a confrontation at a registration centre.
At Kasoa on Monday, 20 July 2020, the sitting MP, Hawa Koomson, fired a warning shot at a registration centre as chaos marred the exercise that day.
Three motorcycles were burnt and EC officials took to their heels after gun-wielding men disrupted the process.
The GBA, in a statement, said it finds “these incidences very unfortunate and we hereby condemn unreservedly the actions of the perpetrators which have resulted in the untimely death of one person, attacks on officials of the EC, mayhem and confusion. Their actions are lawless and totally unacceptable.â€
The GBA further noted that it is regrettable that the suspects, in one instance, include a minister who is also a lawmaker.
The association says it has taken notice of the fact that the Police is investigating the matter and express the hope that the investigation will result “in the swift arrest and due prosecution of the offenders irrespective of statusâ€.
Head of Public Relations for Ghana Mission UN, Kofi Ameyaw says the Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region, Mavis Hawa Koomson, did not commit any crime for firing warning shots to defend herself.
According to him, she needs to be praised for her brave move to defend her life.
“…Mavis Hawa Koomson needs to be praised for acting by the laws of the State, she has not committed any crime as some citizens claim, but have acted according to law,” he lamented.
Mr. Ameyaw insisted that the swift and lawful move taken by the Special Development Initiative Minister he believes “curbed” the misunderstanding incident at the Steps to Christ polling station at Kasoa, otherwise it would have been more disastrous than this.
Police have since arrested four persons in connection with the incident.
Eyewitnesses say at least 15 persons had surrounded the MP before the warning shots were fired.
Listen to him in the video below
Warning gunshot
Madam Hawa Koomson, MP for the Awutu Senya East and Minister for Special Development Initiatives admitted she fired a gun at a voters’ registration centre in her constituency.
She explained that none of the men in her company at the time of the incident was armed when they got to the centre.
“I fired the shots myself,†she admitted.
According to the Special Development Initiatives Minister, she took the firearm which she refused to identify to the registration centre to protect herself.
The MP said she had gone to the registration centre because she heard her opponent had gone against the law to bus people from other places to register.
Some people believed to be supporters of the National Democratic Congress on Monday besieged the Kasoa Police Command despite heavy police presence at the station.
This comes after four people hour were arrested, with some guns retrieved by the Kasoa Divisional Police Command.
They have since been transferred to the Regional Police Headquarters in Cape Coast in the the Central Regional Capital for investigations to continue.
Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Charles Ampem Koosonu revealed his outfit acted immediately the incident happened and upon swift patrols in and around Kasoa environs arrested a pickup where they arrested this suspects.
Speaking on Starr Today, NDC communications officer Mr Delali Sewarkpor accused the Special Initiatives Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson of being behind the violence in the area.
According to him, several complaints to the Kasoa divisional police command has been ignored with no arrest made.
Mr. Sewakpor added that NPP thugs have on different occasions attacked members of the NDC and in some instance serious injuries have been inflicted on their party members with no action taken by the Police.
Mr. Sewakpor added that NDC supporters who besieged the Police station earlier in the day have left.
Currently, the registration centre has been closed down as the Electoral Commission officers at the venue have fled following the violence.
A polling station agent of the National Democratic Congress in the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region Ebenezer Tetteh has had his head cracked with a concrete block while others were subjected to severe beatings by thugs believed to be sympathizers of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP).
The attack happened at the Oduponpkehe Registration Centre.
The victim, Ebenezer Tetteh alleged that the people who assaulted him are land guards hired by the NPP.
“I was working as a polling station agent when I heard some people in the queue complaining about how the registration process is delaying so I was just appealing to them not to leave. Before I realized one of the thugs who had come to the registration centre to hit my head with a block sending me to the ground instantly. The rate at which Land guards are roaming the various registration centers in the Kasoa and assaulting people is too much. The IGP should beef up security so that those who want to register will exercise their right in peace,†he told Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan.
Mr. Kwame Amoah, the Awutu Senya East Municipal NADMO coordinator, has revealed that his organization is seeking court approval to enable it pull down some buildings on waterways within the Kasoa area in the central region.
This, he said, is intended to prevent the perennial flooding of the area.
His comments follow the Sunday downpour that destroyed properties belonging to residents of Kasoa.
“We will write to the court to seek permission that we pull down some buildings in the waterways,†he told Accra 100.5FM FM.
Residents of Kasoa in the Central region, have recounted their experiences following the destruction of their buildings and other properties during the heavy downpour on Sunday, May 10.
One of the victims, Adjei, said the contributors who constructed the roads failed to provide good drainage system and that caused the floods.
“The gutters were not properly constructed and so when it rains we experience floods here,†he said.
Another victim said: “All my mattresses have been damaged, I have to let my wife and children go somewhere else to sleep.â€
“My husband slept in a wheelbarrow till the following morning. I also slept on a table because all our mares have been destroyed,†another victim said.
One also said: “My three laptops and iPad that I am using to work have all been destroyed. We are pleating to the government to come to our support.â€
Two individuals are in the grips of the Kasoa Divisional Police Command for possessing illegal arms.
The two, Kwesi Solomon aged 22 and Francis Hammond, 19, were arrested by some youth of Gomoa Budumburam after they were found in possession of a locally-made pistol concealed in a handbag.
The youth handed them over to the Police.
Divisional Crime Officer for Kasoa, DSP Owusu Dwomoh told Citi News that the two will be charged with the offence of committing crime and possession of firearms without lawful authority.
“On the 13th of March, 2020, we had information that two young men had been arrested in Budumburam…We found two locally made pistols. They were brought to the police station. Upon interrogation, one of the suspects said he took the pistol from an uncle. They are now in custody and will be arraigned tomorrow. They will be charged with possession of firearms.â€
Similar case
On Thursday, four military officers were similarly arrested alongside five civilians by the Millennium City Divisional Police Command in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region.
The nine, armed with guns, reportedly robbed the Executive Quarry site in Gomoa Ojobi and made away with a cash amount of GHS10,000 one IBM laptop computer, one HP laptop, two system units, one money counting machine, a printer, and two security cameras all valued at GHS20,000.
The Central Regional Police PRO, DSP Irene Oppong indicated that the Director of the company reported that the incident occurred around 11:30 am on Wednesday.
According to her, the nine suspects include WO 1 Odei Nyarko Isaac, WO 1 George Boamah, S/Sgt. Ennid Michael and S/Sgt Aburam Abraham.
The civilians are Ransford Awuni Cornelius Akorasse, Nelson Kwesi Rayan Hodogbe, Ben Ajah alias Cliff Buckman, David Amuzu and Ebenezer Annan Quao.
They were arrested after a hot chase by the Kasoa Divisional Police together with the Millennium City Police. They were grabbed at Ofaakor, a suburb of Kasoa.
“We had a distress call from the Director of Executive Quarry that four military men armed with guns in the company of five civilians onboard two Toyota Landcruiser and one Pajero came to his site and robbed him of cash of GHS10,000 and other accessories worth GHS20,000 and three other quarries also reported same to the Police,†DSP Irene Oppong said.
A suspect has been re-arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of the two police officers at Buduburam, near Kasoa in the Central Region last year.
Michael Sarfo Ani was picked up initially as one of the suspects who allegedly aided the main suspect, Eric Kojo Dua, in firing a weapon at two police officers who were on a patrol duty, killing them in the process.
In October last year, the fresh suspect together with Kwasi Adjei, aka Kay, were hauled before a Kaneshie Magistrate Court charged with conspiracy in the murder of Sgt. Michael Dzamasi, a service driver, and L/Cpl Awal Mohammed at a place called Big Apple at Buduburam.
The two — Michael, Kay and another one called Theophilus — were said to have gone into hiding after the murder of the two policemen.
However, the three were later discharged by the court as the prosecution decided to drop the charge against them. But following what the prosecution led by ASP Sylvester Asare stated to be some “new developmentsâ€, Sarfo Ani has been re-arrested as a suspect in the murder of the two officers.
Bill of Indictment
Appearing before the court yesterday, ASP Asare told the court presided over by Magistrate Rosemond Agyiri that they had intended to file the Bill of Indictment on Eric Kojo Dua within this week but they have not been able to do so “due to a new development in the matter.â€
He said the police needed to do some more investigations in the wake of the latest development and the fact that the suspect had been re-arrested and pleaded with the court to give them some time to carry out the investigation.
ASP Asare assured the court that they would ensure they sort out the issues by the time they appear before the court again on March 2, 2020.
Kwame Owusu who held the brief for Augustines Obuor said the defence had no objection but urged the police to expedite their investigations so the case could move forward.
Murder Case
The two police officers were killed on August 28 and initially it was speculated that it was armed robbers who perpetrated the heinous crime but it turned out later that Kojo Dua was on a revenge mission.
The policemen were on Task Force duties on the Kasoa-Winneba highway when the main suspect, Kojo Dua, and the other three people on board an unregistered Toyota Camry blatantly ignored the signal of the officers to stop and sped off.
Other events led to Kojo Dua shooting and killing both officers who had since been laid to rest.
Kojo Duah was on the run after the deadly incident and was arrested on the Senchi Bridge on Saturday, August 31, in the Eastern Region less than 72 hours after the crime was committed.
He is reported to have said he killed Sgt. Dzamesi out of revenge for the death of his mother because he was convinced that the deceased policeman was responsible for it
The Kasoa Ofaakor Magistrate Court presided over by Her Honour Afua Owusuaa Appiah has remanded into police custody, Corporal Samuel Boamah and Lance Corporal Issifu Tahiru over their involvement in the killing of a 21-year-old boy at a drinking spot at Kasoa.
The pleas of the suspects, who appeared before court on Monday, 9th December 2019, were not taken.
They are to reappear before court on Monday, December 23, 2019.
The Central Regional Police PRO, DSP Irene Oppong told Citi News investigations were still ongoing into the matter.
How the incident happened
A 21-year-old civilian, identified as Musah Mohammed, was allegedly shot dead by Corporal Samuel Boamah during a confrontation at a drinking spot in Kasoa on Friday 6th December at about 12:30 midnight.
According to a police communication, the suspect, Corporal Samuel Boamah of the Kasoa Rovers Unit and another officer, Lance Corporal Isifu Tahiru also of the same unit went to JVC, a popular drinking spot to drink.
While drinking, a confrontation broke out between the officers and some of the customers at the place and Lance Corporal Isifu Tahiru, who had his sidearm loaded with 13 live ammunition decided to frighten the crowd by pulling out his gun.
Corporal Boamah reportedly snatched the gun and shot at the deceased, identified as Musah Mohammed.
“On 6th December, 2019 at 00:30 the Kasoa Divisional Command received a distressed call that No. 43587 G/CPL Samuel Boamah of Kasoa rovers unit shot and killed a civilian at Kasoa. Upon receipt of this information the Divisional Command proceeded to the scene where it was revealed that at about 23:00 hours the said CPL and No. 48440 G/L/CPL Isifu Tahiru of same unit went to a popular drinking spot called JVC around Kasoa main roundabout in mufti to drink, with the latter holding police side arm loaded with 13 live ammunition. In the course of drinking, they had confrontation with some customers there.
The L/CPL Isifu Tahiru pulled out his sidearm in order to frighten the crowd and in the process CPL Boamah snatched the sidearm from his counterpart, fired and killed Musah Mohanmed aged 21 years,†a police report said.
The gun used by the officers have since been retrieved.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, James Oppong Boanuh has directed that uniforms, and other items that identify the two persons are police officers be taken from them.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, has directed the immediate interdiction of two policemen in connection with the shooting and killing of a 22-year-old man at Kasoa last Friday night.
He has also directed the Kasoa Divisional Police to retrieve all weapons, uniforms and other police accoutrement in the possession of the suspects: Lance Corporal Issifu Tahiru and Corporal Samuel Boamah.
The two policemen, who until the incident were members of the Rovers Unit of the Kasoa Divisional Police Command, are currently in custody, pending investigations into the incident at a drinking spot.
They are said to have had a confrontation with some customers at the JVC, a popular drinking spot at the Kasoa Main Roundabout, where they had gone to drink, during which a pistol belonging to one of the policemen was used to shoot Musah Mohammed in an ensuing skirmish, leaving the victim dead.
Distress call
According to the Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Irene Oppong, about 12.30 a.m. last Saturday, the Kasoa Divisional Police Command received a distress call that Corporal Boamah of the Kasoa Rovers Unit had shot and killed a civilian at Kasoa.
She said when the police proceeded to the scene, they gathered that L/Cpl Tahiru and Cpl Boamah had gone to the spot to drink, with L/Cpl Tahiru holding a side arm loaded with 13 live ammunition.
She said in the course of drinking, there was a confrontation between the two policemen and some customers of the JVC and Tahiru pulled out the gun in order to frighten the crowd, but Boamah snatched it and fired it, killing Mohammed.
Detained
DSP Oppong said both policemen had been detained, after the pistol with nine rounds of ammunition had been retrieved from them.
She said the police were handling the case as a murder case, and that investigations into it had started in earnest.
Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been deposited at the Police Hospital in Accra.
The Kaneshie District has discharged six persons accused of being part of a gang that killed two police officers at Buduburam in the Central Region on August 28, 2019.
Isaac Amissah, Ibrahim Zakaria, Isaac Mensa, Oblitey Commey, Victor Yire and Fatawu Ahmed were set free Thursday morning after the prosecution withdrew the initial charges of conspiracy to commit murder, abetment to murder and murder, reports Graphic Online’s Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson who was in court.
The prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Sylvester Asare filed a new charge sheet which indicted the prime suspect Eric Kojo Duah, also known as Sakora and three others who are at large.
Duah and the other accused person – Mike Anim, and two others named only as Theophilus and ‘K’ have been slapped with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of murder.
Duah was remanded into the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) by the court, presided over by Rosemond Doodua Agyiri to assist with Investigations.
The suspects allegedly shot Sgt Dzamesi and L/Corporal Awal, both attached to the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service at Budumburam near Kasoa, who were on task force duties on the Kasoa-Winneba highway.
The suspects, who were using an unregistered Toyota Camry vehicle and said to be driving recklessly, allegedly shot the unarmed policemen after refusing to stop when the security officers signalled them to do so.
Police said a pistol which allegedly belonged to Duah was found in the abandoned Toyota Camry and the Police Administration declared a manhunt operation aimed at getting the suspected killer(s) arrested.
Six out of the seven accused persons arraigned before court in respect of the killing of the Kasoa Police Officer have been discharged, leaving Eric Kojo Duah to face charges of conspiracy and murder.
The six persons?who were discharged are Isaac Amissah, Ibrahim Zakaria, Isaac Mensa, Oblitey Commey, Victor Yire and Fatawu Ahmed.
In court today, when the case was called ASP Sylvester Asare who is the prosecutor tendered in a new charge sheet after withdrawing the previous one.
He said investigations are ongoing based on recent development and as per the charge sheet, efforts are underway to arrest the accomplices of Eric Duah, the alleged ring leader and three other accomplices.
The three accomplices Mike Anim, Theophilus and Kay.
