| News Home (Main Page) | | African Newspaper | | LATEST WORLD NEWS | | | Ghanaian Media: | | Public Agenda | | GNA-Ghana News Agen. | The Statesman | | | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2009 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2008 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2007 | | PHOTO REPORTS | | VIDEO REPORTS | | ARTS in GHANA | | Food & Drinks in Ghana | | Africa Cup 2008 | | Ghana Hotels | | Links / Websites | | Ghana Districts | | Ghana Tourism | | Ghana Classifieds | Names in Ghana | | | | * 18.01.2010 | Confessed armed robbers jailed 17 years each * Source: GNA | Accra, Jan. 18, GNA - Three persons were on Monday sentenced to 17 years imprisonment each by an Accra Circuit Court for rape and robbery.
Kofi Yeboah a barber, Kwabena Ebo and Osei Prempeh both masons pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and robbery. Prempeh was additionally charged for raping one of the victims at gun point. Yaw Asamoah, an accomplice however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court presided over by Mr. C.A. Wilson fixed February 4, for Asamoah's trial. These same convicts have also confessed to the killing of Pastor Nii Addy of the Lighthouse Chapel International at gun point during the yuletide at Gbawe in Accra, and are awaiting trial for their involvement in that crime as well.
Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kofi Blagodzi said the complainants in Monday's case, Alhaji Seidu, Hudu Mohammed and a lady whose name has been withheld, were all traders. At about 0300 hours on December 30, last year, the convicts and Asamoah, armed with pump action guns and cutlasses broke into the room of Mohammed and made away with three mobile phones, a DVD player and GH¢100 cedis cash. They also went to Alhaji Seidu's house and robbed him of four mobile phones, two DVD players and GH¢260 cedis cash. After their operation, prosecution said, Prempeh went to the lady and raped her. The matter was reported to the police, who proceeded to the scene.
Prosecution said during investigations it was detected that the robbers also operated in other houses at the Gbawe-Bulemin neighbourhood. He said some of the items stolen from the complainants were found on the market and the sellers were arrested, who assisted the police to arrest the convicts at their hideout at Prankese and Ofankor. "The accused persons admitted the offences in their caution statement to the police," DSP Blagodzi said. | | | | | | ______________________ |
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| LATEST GHANA NEWS Monday, 18 January 2010 WEEK 02 - 2010 |
| * Monday, 18 January 2010 | Earthquake rumour spreads panic throughout Ghana * Source: GNA | | Read also the the Public Agenda storry | Accra, Jan. 18, GNA - Wild rumours of an imminent earthquake in Ghana on Sunday night sent tens of thousands of panic stricken Ghanaians into the streets and the open where many spent the night. The panic was triggered on Sunday night, when rumour mongers, taking advantage of the Haiti situation, sent text messages round saying the country was about to experience a major earthquake.
Throughout the night, Ghanaians spread the rumours using text messages, mobile and fixed line phones calls to warn their friends and relatives who reacted by knocking on doors and shouting out to other people to come out of their rooms to avoid a disaster . Tens and thousands poured into the open and waited for the earthquake which never struck because it was a rumour.
The original rumour, according to those who received the text message, cited the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as the source, but these have proved unfounded. National security is investigating the rumours.
Meanwhile The Ministry of Information has in a statement issued on Monday morning dispelled reports that an earthquake will be hitting parts of Ghana today. The statement signed by Minister for Information Zita Okaikoi condemned the source of "a dangerous rumour" which has scared many families ever since it started spreading on Sunday night.
Mrs. Okaikoi appealed to the public to go about their normal duties, adding that the Geological Services Department and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had given an assurance that all is well. It is a known fact that parts of the country are sitting on an earthquake zone. Accra's Macarthy Hill area is one of those areas and land developers have been warned to take precaution.
The last earthquake in Ghana was 1939 in Accra. It registered 6.5 on the Richter scale and claimed 17 lives and property worth one million British pounds. Other parts of the country have also experienced earthquakes with loss of life and property. Ghana has always experienced earth tremours, many of which are not felt at all. Those felt were in recent times were experienced in1997, 2003 and 2006. | | > BACK to TOP < | The escaped Johnson Kombia threatens to kill Police Commander * Source: GNA | Tamale, Jan. 18, GNA - Johnson Kombia, alias "Boga", who escaped from prison custody in Tamale at about 0400 hours last Friday, has called the cell phone of the Upper East Regional Police Commander and threatened to kill him. This threat has heightened fears among the security personnel, especially the Police Command in Northern and Upper East Regions, and put them on high alert.
The Northern Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Angwubutuge Awuni, disclosed these in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Tamale on Monday. He said the circumstances surrounding the escape of Johnson Kombia were mysterious and that investigations were still ongoing.
ACP Awuni called for a probe into the incident, saying it was unacceptable for "Boga" to escape under the watch of two prisons officials detailed to guard him, only for him to scale over the prisons wall without anybody's notice. "The walls of the prisons have been fenced with sharp metals and if he scaled over the wall, there would have been a cut and blood would have also drop but there is none of these hence the need for the probe to unearth the truth", said the Commander. ACP Awuni said preliminary investigations gathered by the police indicated that Johnson Kombia was still around Tamale and the police had intensified efforts to re-arrest him. He said the police have a reward of GHc2,000 for anyone with information leading to Kombia's arrest.
Until Kombia's escape, he was serving a five-year sentence at the Tamale Prisons for a similar previous escape in 2005, while he was awaiting trial for murder and robbery. He was also alleged to have been threatening people's lives and robbing in and around Nalerigu, Gambaga, Nakpanduri and Bunkrugu, and once ambushed and killed two soldiers. All efforts to speak to the Northern Regional Prisons Command on the subject proved futile. | | > BACK to TOP < | Abuse of children and mothers dominant in Upper West * Source: GNA | Wa, Jan. 18, GNA - Lack of maintenance of children and mothers, especially teenage mothers, has been identified to be the most prevalent and most worse form of human rights abuse in the Upper West Region. Out of about 349 cases of human rights abuses that were recorded last year in the region, 229 of them fell within that category.
Mr. Siddique Ubeidu, the Acting Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) made this known to failure by fathers to provide their wives and children with basic necessities such as shelter, clothing, food, education and health. He attributed the problem to the high level of poverty and illiteracy as well as irresponsible behaviour by some parents. He called for the provision of quality education for children and their mothers properly catered for as they constituted a significant percentage of the country's population. "Lack of education and employment breeds criminals, it is therefore important to educate our children well so that they can become responsible and contribute to the economic growth of the country", he said.
Touching on other forms of human rights abuses in the region, Mr. Ubeidu mentioned failure to honour obligations or pay End of Service Benefits (ESB) by some employers as some of the cases that the Commission had been trying to resolve. He said the Commission was engaged in public education through meetings with opinion leaders in the communities including formation of human rights clubs in senior high schools in the region. "We counsel women too on the need to venture into income generating activities to enable them support their families". He said the Commission lacked resources, especially transport, to enable it function effectively and called on philanthropists, NGOs and other organisations that were into human rights issues to come to assist. | | > BACK to TOP < | Forestry Commission launches operation to halt forest depletion * Source: GNA | Bibiani (W/R), Jan. 18, GNA - The Western Regional Office of the Forestry Commission has launched an operation to stop the destruction of forest reserves through illegal farming and timber felling. The exercise code-named "Operation Halt" would involve the surveillance to arrest and prosecute encroachers of Afau Hills, Anhwiaso North, Suraw, Sumtwitwi and Tano-Suraw Extension Forest reserves.
Mr. Kwakye Ameyaw, Regional Forestry Manager, who said these at the launch of the operation at Bibiani, encouraged people living around the forest reserves to help arrest encroachers of the forest. He said exercise would include massive reforestation to restore degraded forests.
The Bekwai District Forestry Manager, Mr Nkansah Kwarteng warned chiefs against releasing portions of the reserves to settler farmers for farming since it was against the law. Already five people are standing trial for cultivating cocoa and food crops in the Tano-Suraw Extension Forest Reserve. Under the Forest Protection Decree 1974 (NRC 243) and Forest Amendment Act, 2002, (Act 624), it is unlawful to farm in a reserve without the permission of the Forestry Commission | | > BACK to TOP < | Northern Region NDC commends media and security * Source: GNA | Tamale, Jan. 18, GNA - The Executive body of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Northern Region has commended the media and security personnel for their immense contribution in making the party's Congress in Tamale a success.
Alhaji Imoro Issifu Alhassan Umar, Regional Secretary of the party, told the GNA in an interview on Monday that, "We owe the media, the security personnel and the people of Tamale a great gratitude for helping the NDC to emerge stronger from the congress." He said while the media did not misreport events, the security personnel ensured that there was order and they expertly controlled traffic to the last minute without any hitch, and gave the assurance that the NDC would continue to chart peaceful paths for others to emulate.
He explained that though the delegates and party supporters comported themselves, if the media had sent negative and wrong signals to the outside world, and if the security had messed up, tempers would have gone high to mar the event. "I take this opportunity to thank all delegates, the people of Tamale and all who contributed in any way to the success of the congress.
This is to tell the whole world that Tamale is peaceful and any form of investment could be located here to give our youth employment," he said. He said the NDC's detractors were disappointed by the outcome of the congress, and reiterated President John Evans Atta Mills' call on party members to remain focused to retain power in 2012.
Alhaji Umar attributed the success of the event to the establishment of sub-committee structures at both regional and national levels which, according to him, played their roles creditably. He said the only problem that they faced was accreditation for the media, some delegates, Members of Parliament and District Chief Executives but attributed the problem to the late arrival in Tamale by the accreditation committee from Accra. He apologized on behalf of the party to those who might have suffered in any form during the course of the congress saying, "We should all forget and forgive for the interest of nation-building."
The NDC held a successful National Delegates' Congress in Tamale from the 15-17 January where it retained its winning team and
chose other leaders to join the old ones aimed at retaining power in 2012. Dr Kwabena Adjei and Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia retained their positions as National Chairman and General Secretary respectively,
while Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, Mr. Kofi Portophy, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbarh, Alhaji Said
Sinare and Danny Annang, all won the position of Vice Chairman. The position of National Treasurer went to Mr. Kamel Noshie who polled 1,501 votes to beat Mr. Yussif Abdel Adiss who got 350 votes. Mr. Richard Quarshiga polled 1,270 to beat Mr. Allotey Jacobs who obtained 437 votes for the position of National Propaganda Secretary.
Five members were also elected out of 15 candidates as National Executive Committee (NEC) members. They are, Mr. Abu Minta Sadat, Madam Victoria Kuma, Mr. John Owusu Agyemang, Dr E.K. Hayford and Mr. Richard Lantey Lawson.
Mr. Yaw Gyan and Madam Betty Agbornobor were declared unopposed for the positions of National Organiser and Deputy Organiser respectively.
Dr Adjei, the re-elected National Chairman, thanked delegates for the confidence reposed in them by renewing their mandate for the next four years. He promised that the new executive would work in unity to promote the advancement of the party and the welfare of its foot soldiers. Expressing the confidence that the NDC would win the elections in 2012, Dr Adjei appealed to members to forgive and forget all differences and forge ahead in unity. | > BACK to TOP < |
_____________________________________________________ ----- | Archived News for 2010 | | | Monday, 18 January 2010 | - Earthquake rumour spreads panic throughout Ghana - The escaped Johnson Kombia threatens to kill Police Commander - Abuse of children and mothers dominant in Upper West - Forestry Commission launches operation to halt forest depletion - Northern Region NDC commends media and security - Confessed armed robbers jailed 17 years each - Driver assaults policeman - New road safety policy soon | | | Go to 19.01.2010 Go to 17.01.2010 Go to 16.01.2010 Go to 15.01.2010 Go to 14.01.2010 Go to 13.01.2010 Go to 12.01.2010 Go to 11.01.2010 Go to 10.01.2010 Go to 09.01.2010 Go to 08.01.2010 Go to 07.01.2010 Go to 06.01.2010 Go to 05.01.2010 Go to 04.01.2010 | | Your REPORT Your STORIES * Your PHOTOS PUBLISH NOW! | 
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| | | | * 18.01.2010 | Driver assaults policeman * Source: GNA | Koforidua, Jan. 18, GNA - Richard Akoto, a 24- year- old taxi driver, has been arrested by the Eastern Regional Police Command for assaulting a policeman detailed for traffic duties in Koforidua. As a result, Police Sergeant Peter Ayisah lost two teeth and was rushed to the Koforidua Central Hospital for medical attention.
A source at the Regional Public Relations Unit of the police told the Ghana News Agency that Sgt. Ayisah was assigned for traffic duties at the railway crossing in town, when on Thursday January 14, he spotted the driver jumping a red light from the Effiduase area towards the central hospital. The policeman signalled the driver to stop and reminded him that he had committed the same offence the previous day.
Sgt. Ayisah therefore decided to escort Akoto in his vehicle to the police headquarters for the necessary action to be taken against him. When the vehicle was approaching the headquarters, the driver diverted the route and when Sgt. Ayisah enquired to know the reason for his action, he got infuriated, stopped in the middle of the road and tried to get down.
The policeman then removed the ignition keys and held the driver to his seat to prevent him from running away. Akoto started reigning insults on the Sgt. Ayisah compelling him to call for reinforcement. The suspect reportedly hit the mouth of the policeman leading to the lost of his teeth. | New road safety policy soon * Source: GNA | Doba (U/E) Jan.18,GNA -A new policy to enhance discipline and safety on the country's roads is to be rolled out soon as part of efforts to reduce vehicular accidents and related deaths and injury. The policy encourages shared responsibilities for road sector managers including the Ghana Police Service, the Road Safety Commission, and the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and other relevant agencies.
The Upper East Regional Manager of the Ghana Road Safety Commission, Mr. Alex Ayieta, who disclosed at a Road Safety Campaign at Doba near Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana East District, said policy was necessary due to statistics pointing to the overwhelming high road accidents on the country's roads. The policy assigns roles on actions to the various stakeholders in clear and unambiguous language. "Pedestrians and passengers were most vulnerable to accidents in the country. Forty-three per cent of victims of the 1,600 accidents are passengers and pedestrians".
Mr. Ayieta educated the Chiefs and people of the area on the use of the road such as adhering to road signs and other road regulations which he said was key to avoiding accidents and death. The District Police Commander for Kassena-Nankana East, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Daniels Dery, said 23 accidents occurred in the area last year and attributed the misfortune to drunkenness, over speeding, overloading, disobeying road regulations, ignorance on the use of the road among others.
ASP Dery the public to abstain from drinking while driving; they should always do defensive driving, wear protective gear such as helmets and seat belts among others. The District Chief Executive for the Area, Mr. Emmanuel Andema, for speed ramps and other visible road signs to be constructed on the Trans ECOWAS road which runs through the district to reduce pedestrian death and injury.
Mr. Andema said government was prepared to provide quality livelihood for the people in the area and that there was the need for everyone to stay alive for that package. The Assemblyman for the Korongo-Kandango Electoral Area, Mr. Eugene Atodio appealed to motorists to respect pedestrians who were vulnerable because most of the people live and work close to the highway. | | | | |
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