Awutu Papaase District Pastor of the Church of Pentecost in the Central Region, Samuel Koblah Narh, has been shot in his home in the district.
Robbers made away with his Toyota RAV4 car with the registration GW 545-22 and his mobile phones.
Police investigations suggest that armed robbers hid in front of his home waiting for an opportunity to enter his home.
A few hours later when the pastor was entering his home from an evening service, the robbers entered his house when his son opened the main gates.
Immediately, the robbers began to open fire to scare and frighten the family while demanding the keys to his vehicle.
The thieves made away with the car which had the pastor’s mobile phones.
In an interview with Adom News, a church elder, Godfred Viglo, revealed that one of the stray bullets hit the pastor in the shoulder.
He said Pastor Koblah was initially rushed to Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital for first aid and subsequently transferred to Church of Pentecost Hospital Madina for treatment.
Mr Viglo appealed to Ghanaians and the Ghana Police Service to help arrest the suspects and retrieve the pastor’s Toyota RAV4.
A 16-year-old girl, [Name withheld], has been arrested by the Mankessim police in the Central Region for setting her boyfriend’s room ablaze.
Accra-based GHOne reports that her actions followed an argument with her boyfriend.
According to reports, the 16-year-old visited her boyfriend at his corn mill shop to demand money.
Picture credit: StarrFM
The boyfriend reportedly refused to give her money because she had allegedly been unfaithful at some point in their affair.
The boyfriend proceeded to end the relationship with her. The teenage girl is said to have asked for forgiveness, but the man forcibly removed her from the shop.
Very upset about the situation, the teenager went to the man’s house and set the place on fire, after which she returned to her workplace.
Her friend said she confided in her about the act. She eventually confessed to the crime following her arrest.
The Assembly Member for New Nkusukum, Alhaji Alli Amoah Abubakuri, condemned the act and urged teenagers to avoid such destructive behaviours in romantic relationships.
She is currently assisting the police with their investigation, following her apprehension by community members.
The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2024 Parliamentary Candidate for Amenfi East Constituency, Ernest Frimpong, has been released by the Tarkwa Police Command in the Western Region.
Mr Frimpong was released on Wednesday evening after the police took a statement from him regarding his comments in a video that has gone viral.
The candidate was arrested following the circulation of a video in which he appeared to urge miners to retaliate against police officers and soldiers who attempt to extort money from them.
Ernest Frimpong has denied the allegations, asserting that he did not endorse illegal mining or encourage miners to fight military personnel.
He claimed that his remarks were taken out of context from a two-hour engagement with artisanal small-scale miners and emphasised that his intentions were misrepresented.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive for Wassa Amenfi East, Frederick Korankye, has condemned Frimpong’s comments.
He urged miners to cooperate with security officers as part of efforts to eliminate illegal mining activities in the community.
Mr Korankye emphasised the importance of following legal procedures for mining. He urged those willing to mine to obtain the necessary documentation and permits before undertaking such ventures in accordance with Ghanaian laws.
“The government is ready to facilitate the documents for you to do your work according to the guidelines set out in the mining laws. So that is what I will plead with the miners. In fact, the land belongs to us so we cannot look unconcerned for them to destroy it the way it is.
“So once a while, the military will come and then make sure that they do the right thing. At the beginning of every year, there are rampant armed robbery cases over here, and when it happens like that, we rely on these security services to come and assist, so we cannot be attacking them and then later come and call them to come and help us,” he said.
The Ghana Police Service has denied allegations by the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, that senior police officials, including the Accra Regional Police Commander, CID Director-General, and Inspector-General of Police, claimed that the arrest of three individuals with firearms in Ofaakor was orchestrated by some officials at the behest of higher authorities.
Hon.Johnson Aseidu Nketia
The police, in a statement, disclosed that it has received a video of Asiedu Nketia claiming that some seniors in the police have told him the arrest was based on an order from above.
The police described Asiedu Nketia’s allegations as “false and baseless,” stating that the arrest was a legitimate enforcement of the law, without any external influence.
The suspects, according to the police, were apprehended at the Electoral Commission offices in Ofaakor with a Pump Action gun and ammunition.
However, the police maintain that none of the senior officers mentioned by Asiedu Nketia made any such statements.
Meanwhile, Asiedu Nketia, while addressing the media after the release of the NDC’s parliamentary candidate for Awutu Senya East, Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, from police custody has warned the police and security agencies to be cautious ahead of the 2024 elections, stating that no law was designed to intimidate citizens.
Find below the statement
The attention of the Ghana Police Service has been drawn to a video in which Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia is heard claiming that the Accra Regional Police Commander, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Inspector-General of Police had indicated to him that the arrest of some three persons for possession of firearms at Ofaakor in the Awutu Senya East Constituency was based on an order from above.
We would like to categorically state that the claims are false and without any bases. None of the officers mentioned in the video has at any point in time made any such pronouncement.
We wish to emphasize that all three suspects were arrested when a Pump Action gun with four rounds of ammunition was found in their vehicle at the offices of the Electoral Commission at Ofaakor in the Awutu Senya East constituency of the Central region. They have subsequently been cautioned and granted bail.
SAMMY GYAMFI WRITES ON THE ILLEGAL DETENTION OF PHILLIS NAA KORYOO OKUNOR, NDC PC FOR AWUTU SENYA EAST
Comrades, it is very clear that the NPP-controlled Police service has no reasonable or justifiable cause to be detaining the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency.
The claim of a discrepancy in her first name is totally false.
Attached is a picture of the PC’s Ghana Card which bears the name “Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor”.
Also attached is a soft copy of her campaign poster, which bears the same name “Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor”.
Also, attached are pictures of the license, permit and other documents covering the gun that was found in her car, which all bear the name “Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor” (save that on the license the last letter “o” of her middle name “Koryoo” was omitted by the police officer who filled it”.)
What then is Naa Koryoo’s crime? Is it now a crime to procure and register/license a gun in your name for personal protection? A gun she has not fired at anybody?
What did the NPP-controlled police do in the case of Hawa Koomson, who actually fired a gun at a voter registration center?
This same Hawa Koomson has threatened Naa Koryoo at gun point on four (4) different occasions, according to her lawyers. This is why she was compelled to buy and register a gun in her name for her protection.
What a load of nonsense from the Dampare-led Police. Is this the transformation of the Ghana Police Service that IGP Dampare promised Ghanaians – that a Parliamentary Candidate of the NDC will be detained overnight by the Police for a reason as flimsy and trivial as this?
The leadership of the NPP-controlled Police must bow down their heads in shame for allowing themselves to be used by the despotic Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government against innocent civilians.
We in the NDC will not be intimidated or cowered by this disgraceful and oppressive conduct of the Police. The demand for the release of Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor continues today. #FreeKoryooNow #ResistOppressorsRule
There is no justification for the decision by the Inspector General of Police George Dampare, on the orders of the National Security Advisor, Albert Kan Dapaah, to detain a Parliamentary Candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency in Police custody.
This action, taken on the instructions of the National Security Secretariat, will needlessly raise the political temperature in the country and spark avoidable tension.
The Police Service and the IGP must not allow themselves to be used to hang the peace and stability of our nation months before crucial national elections.
I call on the IGP, the Peace Council, the government, and the people of Ghana to recognise that justice is not just a moral imperative but a crucial prerequisite for maintaining peace and stability in a nation.
We cannot allow the police service to be used to stifle opposition and intimidate innocent Ghanaians and political opponents in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
John Dramani Mahama
Clearly, the intention to detain her after she had already been granted bail is an attempt to intimidate the NDC Parliamentary candidate in her quest to unseat the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hawa Koomson, in the Awutu Senya East Constituency.
I urge the IGP to urgently reconsider his actions and release Naa Koryoo immediately for the sake of justice and the stability of our nation.
It is high time the police fulfilled their duty to serve and protect all citizens, irrespective of their political affiliations.
Richard Jakpa, the third accused person in the ongoing ambulance case, has challenged the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, to appear in court and refute the allegations he has made against him.
Mr Jakpa has accused Mr Dame of witness tampering and fabricating evidence, claims which are detailed in a phone conversation that has been publicised.
Mr Jakpa insists that the case should be tried in court, not in the public sphere, and is calling on the Attorney-General to present his evidence to support his assertions in court.
Richard Jakpa and Godfred Yeboah Dame
Addressing the issue of the leaked tape’s authenticity, Jakpa has dared anyone disputing it to produce their own tape to counter his.
In an exclusive interview with JoyNews ahead of the highly-anticipated hearing on Tuesday, June 4, Jakpa expressed his confidence in securing justice.
He emphasised that the allegations he has raised are serious and should be addressed within the legal framework.
“He lAG] should come to court and come and refute the allegations and set the records according to his opinion straight and the way it is supposed to be. I have done mine in court, and I am expecting him to come and do his part. The case is in court and not in public opinion,” he told JoyNews Latif Iddrissu.
Richard Jakpa, under cross-examination, revealed that the Attorney General had been contacting him at unusual hours to solicit testimony against the Minority Leader.
This revelation has sparked discussions among Ghanaians, with some individuals calling for the resignation of Attorney General Godfred Dame.
Dr Ato Forson, a former Deputy Finance Minister and current Minority Leader, is currently on trial for his alleged involvement in the procurement of defective ambulances for Ghana. He is accused of causing financial loss to the state to the tune of 2.3 million Euros.
Subsequently, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at a press conference played a 16-minute tape allegedly featuring a conversation between the Attorney General and Jakpa.
But the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has refuted the claims made in the audio, asserting that it has been “doctored and manipulated” with malicious intent.
Ambulance trial: AG describes Jakpa’s application as frivolous, vexatious
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General has opposed an application for an order striking out the charges and terminating the proceedings or staying proceedings against Richard Jakpa, third accused in the trial of Dr Ato Forson and one other.
The AG described the application as an abuse of process and unmeritorious.
In an affidavit in opposition, the AG said no proper grounds had been canvassed by the applicant to warrant a grant of that application, which was unknown to criminal procedure and practice in Ghana.
“…That the instant application is a rush and a desperate smoke screen by the applicant to abort his legitimate prosecution for the role he played in causing financial loss to the State in the purchase of ordinary vans purporting to be ambulances,” the AG said.
The AG said the application, anchored on “untruths and a skilful manipulation of facts”, sought to cloth the applicant with immunity from prosecution and to that extent, “incompetent and offensive to Ghanaian law”.Source: Ernest K. Arhinful
Kumasi, May 24, 2024 – A man believed to be 53 years old narrowly escaped lynching from the community after he was caught red handed for practicing homosexuality at Bompata, a suburb of Kumasi.
The community elders has since declared him wanted and anyone who assist in apprehending him would be rewarded handsomely.
The man whose name was given only as Ali, an Auto framer is alleged to have been having this affairs secretly for a long time with fellow men and young boys in the community.
According to the narratives , on 12th January, 2024, he was traced and beaten by some angry youth of the area but he managed to escape with broken arm and some wounds around part of his body.
His escape infuriated the youth who broke into his room and destroyed his belongings running into thousands of cedis.
Bompata is a community made up of Muslims and Christians in Kumasi, where homosexuality is prohibited.
Islam and Christianity is widely known as a religions that frowns on homosexuality and for that matter an abomination for any person in the community to be involved in such immoral act.
According to some leaders of the community, the culprit ( Ali) has been having such immoral act for a long and if the leadership are not careful, it is likely he will lure or influence the youth of the area in the act.
They explained that, one of his victims who happened to be a young boy of about twenty years narrated his ordeal to his uncle ( Mr Issah )who became furious and confronted the culprit’s brother (Alhaji Nafiu Ibrahim).
One leader of the community told the media that, sensing danger the family of the culprit aided him to abscond from the community and move to Obuasi ( a different community) after realising that his cover had been blown.
Mr Musah ,the victim’s uncle said he would pursue the matter to its logical conclusion even if it takes the culprit 100 years to return to the community.
“I can’t forgive Ali for doing that to my nephew because the boy is now traumatised due to the stigmatization he is suffering in the community,” he noted
When the media contacted Mr Nafiu Ibrahim(Culprit’s brother) about his whereabout ,he said, the family contributed and managed to flown him to Canada where is currently seeking asylum.
In Ghana ,the issue of homosexuality has became very debatable as to whether it should be ascented or not, meanwhile the family of culprit has since reported the case to the police.
Vociferous member of the Movement for Change, Hopeson Adorye, who was arrested after admitting to detonating dynamite in the Volta Region during the 2016 elections to favour the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been granted bail.
Mr Adorye was granted bail on Thursday, May 23, by the Dansoman District Court, set at GH¢20,000 with two sureties, one of which must be justified.
He was charged by the police for publication of false news.
A key member of the Movement for Change, Nana Ohene Ntow gave the update in an interview with JoyNews.
According to him Mr Adorye has been taken to the Ministries Police Station to complete the necessary procedures for his release from custody.
“He was put before the Dansoman District Court this [Thursday] morning and was charged with publication of false news. He has been granted bail and has been taken to the Ministries Police Station with our lawyers to secure his release,” Mr Ntow said.
The case has been adjourned to June 26, 2024.
Meanwhile, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, a former Member of Parliament for Adentan who has parted ways with the NPP and is now a member of the Movement for Change, has claimed that the arrest is politically motivated.
Following a visit by presidential aspirant and leader of the movement, Alan Kyerematen, Mr Buaben Asamoa said the allegations against Hopeson Adorye are false and unjust.
“Hopeson Adorye is not about to run away from Ghana or his home because the police intend to charge him with the publication of false information. So to go to the extent of keeping him all day in the police station and bringing him over to the Ministries to detain him, you point fingers backwards at yourself that there is something political at play and it is not fair,” he said.
Hopeson Adorye was picked up after he spoke on Accra FM on May 10, where he confessed to being part of a plot that detonated dynamite in the Volta Region to scare voters in the stronghold of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to favour the NPP.
“Prior to the elections, we blasted dynamite in parts of the Volta Region, and that scared a number of people. When I finished casting my ballot in Tema, I drove to the Volta Region, and when I asked for the number of people who had voted and the expected number of voters, it turned out people did not come out to vote.”Source: Ernest K. Arhinful
Former President John Mahama has expressed disappointment at the loss of $190 million meant for private sector participation in electricity distribution under the US Millennium Compact.
In a Facebook post, Mahama attributed the loss to what he called corrupt, ‘yenkyendi’ and cronyistic governance practices of the current administration led by President Nana Akufo-Addo and his Vice.
Mahama, who is gearing up for the 2024 elections, assured Ghanaians that he will prioritise accountability and work to enhance private sector efficiency in the electricity distribution system if elected. He also pledged a thorough investigation of the PDS scandal to hold those involved accountable.
The cancellation of the $190 million power compact under the Millennium Challenge Corporation compact for Ghana follows the PDS scandal, with government taking no action against the identified persons involved in the scandal.
The former president passionately called on all Ghanaians to unite, stand together, and fight against the pervasive issues of corruption and cronyism. He envisions a brighter future for Ghana’s power sector, a future that can only be built with the collective efforts of all.
With the hashtags #LetsBuildGhanaTogether and #Mahama4Change2024, Mahama rallied support for his vision of building a better Ghana that all Ghanaians want, a vision he says includes every Ghanaian.
