The 27-year-old suspected kidnapper who was arrested recently has admitted he was the mastermind of the child kidnappings from some churches in the Accra Metropolis. Ernest Kwabena Koomson told the Accra Circuit Court he kidnapped the four children in the recent kidnaps and demanded ransoms from their parents. I did not know the repercussions Appearing before the court, the accused, who was not represented by a lawyer, said he committed the offence without knowing the repercussions. His 19-year-old accomplice, Isaac Ntie, who was represented by Mr Odei Fianko, denied the offence proffered by the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Charles Chester. Pleas of not guilty The court, presided over by Ms Ellen V. Amoah, entered a plea of not guilty for the kidnapper mastermind and his accomplice and remanded them in police custody to reappear on January 7, 2013. The court heard that the two were arrested about 8:30 a.m. on December 22, 2013  by police officers from the Greater Accra Regional Police Command who had information that a nine-year-old boy had been kidnapped from the North Kaneshie branch of the Lighthouse Chapel International Church (Quodesh) in Accra. Victim‘s father According to the facts of the case, the father of the kidnapped boy, Mr Kojo Spencer, told the police that his son was at Sunday School on the second floor of the church building with his two other siblings, but about 8:22 a.m., he had a call during the church service  in the main auditorium of the church from a man about the kidnap. Mr Spencer said the caller told him that his son had been kidnapped and that he was to pay a ransom of GH¢5000 before the child would be released. A second call from the kidnapper warned Mr Spencer not to involve the police and directed him to leave the ransom at the Christ Ebenezer Preparatory School at Odorkor Official Town. The father of the victim obliged, while the police, who had already been informed about the developments, wore mufti and monitored the calls and movement of the accused person and his accomplice. The ransom The money was then put in a plastic bag and deposited at the location indicated by the kidnapper. The police looked on as Ntie, the accomplice, picked up the bag containing the ransom. Ntie was arrested together with Koomson while he was handing over the money to Koomson, who was on a waiting motorbike close by. The prosecutor told the police that the house of the accused where the victim was rescued and handed over to his parents was located through intelligence gathering. No bail Counsel for Ntie prayed the court to grant his client bail, but the prosecuting officer opposed it, with the explanation that it would affect the work of the police who were conducting further investigations into the matter. Chief Inspector Chester said the police had retrieved from the accused persons some exhibits, including mobile phones, used in two similar offences they had committed early on. He stated that the accused kidnapper did not have a permanent place of abode.  

  The Police in Bekwai in the Ashanti Region are searching for three women who stabbed a taxi driver and stole his Toyota Corolla Taxi cab at Senfi on the Obuasi road. The driver Sakibu Kadril sustained deep knife wounds. According to Kumasi-based Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor, the women took him on several rounds before attacking him in one of their errands: he claimed they were at Kumasi and Kokofu. Kadril said one of the ladies tied a rope around his neck while on their way to Anwia Nkwanta and ordered him to stop and get down from the car. He said he resisted their order which infuriated one of them who slapped him from behind. While he struggled with the ladies, he recalled that one of them reached the ignition key and stopped the engine; the car finally landed in a ditch. He said he was forced out of the car after being stabbed in the wrist and several parts of the body. While weak, helpless and bleeding, the driver said his attackers abandoned him and drove off with the car. The police is yet to make any arrest. ASP Thomas Owoahene Acheampong, Bekwai District Police Commander said though women are known to be accomplices to male armed robbers, he finds it surprising for women alone to stage such a robbery. He said the police would ensure that these suspected robbers are apprehended.  

  Grace Community Outreach (GCO), a nongovernmental organization, has donated books worth GHC 480,000 to 10 community libraries in the Shama District of the Western Region. The 800 boxes of books, will be distributed to eight GCO established community libraries which include, Yabiw, Inchaban, Esoko Essaman, Konfeku, Dwomo, Ituma, Nyankrom and Nkwanta-Kesse community libraries and two already existing libraries in the Shama, and Aboadze communities. The donated books cover a wide area of study such as Religion, Information Communication Technology (ICT), History, Science, Literature as well as motivational and inspirational books from bestselling American authors. Speaking at an event held to officially handover the books to the district, the Country Director of Grace Community Outreach, Reverend Stephen K. Fosu said the purpose of donating the books was to provide the communities with reading materials that could enhance their educational development. He said GCO had established eight libraries in the district and that plans were underway to establish 10 more libraries in the other communities in the district which would be stocked with books upon completion. He said GCO was committed to creating educational and social development opportunities for children in selected deprived communities in the country. This, he said would be achieved by offering community focused programmes which included the establishment of community based libraries. He expressed his gratitude to the management of Lower Pra Rural Bank for paying for the clearance of the books from the port. In his speech at the event, the Chairman of the Board Of Directors of Lower Pra Rural Bank, Mr. Nathaniel Arthur, said the bank was grateful to had played a role that aided in the successful donation of books to the communities. He said the bank treated the payment for the clearance of the books as part of its corporate social responsibilities which was aimed at improving the lives of the people in the communities within which the bank operated. Speaking on the benefits of reading, the Board Chairman said it had been established that knowledgeable people read a lot and that reading was an activity of getting info. He said reading would help a person achieve personal development, adding, “There is no substitute for reading and that an informed person is not easily deceived.” He said there was a growing concern about the falling standards of English language in the country’s educational system and that there was the need to do more to salvage the situation. Receiving the books on behalf of the district, the District Chief Executive of Shama, Mr. Enoch Kodjoe Appiah expressed his gratitude to GCO and Lower Pra Rural Bank for their collaborative effort of donating the books to the communities. He assured the GCO that the books would be put to its rightful use and that measures would be put in place to provide maximum care for the books as well as avoid pilfering. GCO is a Ghanaian based nongovernmental organization committed to improving on educational standards and Christian teachings in communities in the country.  

    Fire, yesterday, broke out in a wooden structure close to the Kokomlemle Police Barracks in Accra, reducing two of its five rooms into a pile of ashes and rubble. The fire also caused considerable damage to the remaining three rooms, rendering them inhabitable. No human casualty was reported. The fire was said to have started in one of the rooms at about 7:30 a.m, and within minutes engulfed the whole structure. It took fire fighters from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), security personnel and residents with the aid of two fire engines nearly two hours to bring the fire under control. When the Daily Graphic reached the scene, there was smoke everywhere and some victims looked helpless since they could not recover anything from the fire.  Others, however, were busily salvaging the little they could from the debris, as the fire fighters got ready to leave the scene. Following the incident, some victims have been forced to sleep in the open while others are putting up with their relatives. How the fire started A victim, Madam Matilda Atipoe, who had lived in the area for close to 30 years, said she noticed smoke coming out of one of the rooms in the house at about 7:30 a.m. “I rushed to my room to be sure it wasn’t coming from my own room because my other neighbour had travelled. When I came out of my room, I realised that the smoke was rather coming from that neighbour’s room.” Madam Atipoe said she rushed to get a crowbar to get her neighbour’s door opened but by the time she got it, the fire had engulfed the whole place. She told the Daily Graphic that police personnel from the barracks helped in quenching the fire, while others made calls to the GNFS. “Now I have lost everything including my travel documents and money. For clothing, the one I am wearing is all I have now,” she added. GNFS The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, Prince Billy Anaglate, said the office received a call at about 8:11 a.m. and fire fighters reached the scene six minutes later. “When we got here, the whole place was on fire and we first had to disconnect all electrical connections before quenching the fire,” he said. He said preliminary investigations gathered at the scene revealed a rice cooker with rice in it, but they were yet to investigate whether it was the cause of the incident. Prince Anaglate expressed worry that the initial number, 999, which the victims used in their attempt to get to the GNFS, was not the correct number and advised that the general public should have emergency numbers on speed dial on their phone at all times to prevent them from calling wrong numbers. Meanwhile, the victims have appealed to the government to come to their aid.    

  The Acting Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Brigadier General Martin K.G. Ahiaglo has said that the company was ready to pay special attention to its customers with the aim of impacting positively in the revenue base, to achieve the raising revenue of the government. This development, he said, the company would operate within the domain of the National Lotto Act, 722 of 2006 to guide its operation through an essential regulation, monitoring and supervision to achieve the core goals set for 2014. Mr Ahiaglo made these initiatives known when he was delivering a speech at a press soirée held on Thursday in Accra. The press soiree sought to review the performance of the NLA in 2013 and the vision for 2014 as well as its contribution to the Consolidated Fund. Speaking on the theme, “Consolidating the Gains Made in 2013 For Increased Revenue Generation in 2014” the NLA Boss said, although the company had faced numerous challenges, it was able to rise in the second half of last year. He pointed out challenges such as Information Technology Fraud by operators, frustrations suffered by patrons of game with respect to WINS payment in 2013 and operating below optimal capacity. Mr Ahiaglo said the company was able to contribute into the Consolidated Fund, an amount of GHC 25.00 million representing 56.25 per cent more than the target of GHC 16.00 million in 2013. The Way Forward for 2014 Confronting the challenges of NLA, Mr Ahiaglo said the organisation would be re-energised and accelerated onto a more dependable and secure platform. “IT system would be fortified by a conducting system audit, authority matrix and access control to eliminate or reduce the high rate of fraud in the company” he said. He added that an initiative would be launched to address customer relations, customer care issues in the area of WINs Payment and also to improve the image through a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activates. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Touching on the Corporate Social Responsibility Activities (CSR), the General Manager in charge of Security of NLA, Lt. Col. Dzotefe Mensah said the CSR was an initiative that pursued sustainable community projects that bonded communities and NLA as development partners. Mr Mensah noted that through the CRS initiatives, the NLA had supported the Renal Dialysis Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital with an amount of GHc20000.00 and the TV3 Social Support Fund with an amount of Ghc 5,000.00. The gesture is to enable a 17-year-old, Richard Kusi Yeboah and Ms Jemima Ekwam to undergo treatment for a year. He assured the general public that playing NLA games ensured that one was a winner at all times.  

  Two days into the New Year, the usual brisk activities at the ministries, departments and state agencies (MDAs) were virtually absent. Even though many workers reported for work on January 2, 2014, members of the public who normally trooped to the ministries to transact business were very few. When the Daily Graphic visited the ministries in Accra, it observed that the usual traffic congestion at the car parking spaces were absent.Some of the institutions visited included the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and Industry and  Ghana Education Service. At the Ghana Education Service (GES), it was observed that some staff were packing and arranging old files. “Some of the staff are not back from the holidays but others are here and we are working as usual”, Nana Ofori Ansah at the Public Relations Office at the GES said. A receptionist at the Ministry of Trade and Industry also said work was moving on but at a slow pace. Business activities The slow pace of activities has also affected hawkers and traders who are usually seen around the ministries engaging in one business or another. Although few of the hawkers and traders were seen doing business, they complained that business was very slow. Madam Obaa Yaa, who sells fruits, said patronage was very poor, but expressed the hope that business would pick up in due course. The situation was not different for Madam Afasatu Mohammed who sells provisions. She lamented that many people were still in the holiday mood, while others were yet to report after the break. Expectations On the expectations of the staff, Nana Ansah expressed the hope that the economy would improve this year. He said the GES would continue to work hard to ensure quality education. A civil servant, Mr Nicholas Amarboye, expressed the hope that the economy would get better this year as compared to that of last year, saying; “we hope for a better year.” Ms Ruby Ntim of  the Ministry of Health expressed the hope that health workers would work harder this year to ensure that Ghanaians received the best healthcare.  

  The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Ghana, Rev. Dr Paul Frimpong-Manso, has urged Ghanaians to purge themselves of all social vices, such as corruption, greed and selfishness. He also stressed the need for Ghanaians to bury their differences and prejudices and “love our neighbours as ourselves.” “Let us live a new life of peace, love and harmony with one another,” he said in a Christmas and New Year message issued in Accra. Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso prayed that 2014 would bring Ghanaians new hope, opportunity and renewed vigour to serve God better than before. He also invoked divine peace on Ghanaians and the entire nation in the New Year. Essence of Christmas Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso said Christmas was characteristically a season of great joy and jubilation celebrated all over the world to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. He said during that period, people generally made extra efforts to cleanse their homes and offices of all filth, whitewash them and adorn the walls and doors with colourful decorations. Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso said commercial activities also reached their peak during the period, as many traders took advantage of the season to make more money. “I personally have no qualms about these activities during Christmas, but I am concerned about the undue hikes in these activities and the shifting of people’s focus from the real reason for Christmas to these peripherals. “Quite similar to the biblical account of Luke 2:7, where the people of Bethlehem had no room in the inn for Jesus and His parents, many people in our day and age tend to crowd out Jesus during Christmas with many activities which are only incidental to the occasion,” he said. According to Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso, “Christ, indeed, is the reason for the season, and without Him, there would be no Christmas in the first place.” Honest reflection He said in order to make the occasion complete and meaningful, “we must make it a season of honest reflection on the cause for which Jesus was born and for which He sacrificed His life; and this remembrance should cause us to order our lives accordingly.” Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso said the amazing thing to remember during Christmas was that God entered the world of man by becoming a man capable of relating with man not only as creator, mighty God and saviour, but also as friend, brother and beloved. “Our reflections should also help us to cherish the paradoxes of Christmas, the incarnation and our redemption,” he noted. Gift-giving Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso said Christmas was also a time for gift-giving in memory of the magi and the gifts they presented to Jesus Christ. But he was quick to point out that God was the ultimate Gift-giver in the Christmas story by demonstrating how to give, not sparingly and selectively, but lavishly to all. “God did not require that we first demonstrate our worthiness or earn His affection; He found us while we were yet sinful and brought us grace and forgiveness. “God did not give objects and artefacts; He sacrified Himself, restored us to a right relationship with Him, and bade us to reconcile with one another,” he remarked.  

  The Eastern Regional Police Command has described as false reports  that Nkwantanang, a town near Kade in the Akyem Abuakwa paramountcy, was last Thursday engulfed in mayhem due to a chieftaincy dispute. The story, which was aired the same day (January 2), indicated that a lot of people sustained injuries while the queenmother, Nana Abena Frempoma, fled the town. The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Mr Akuriba Yaagy, and his deputy, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr James Abass Abaa, expressed disgust at the report, which, according to them, had caused fear and panic in the area. They, therefore, cautioned the media, especially the private radio stations, to desist from such acts. According to them, some journalists in the region, especially those working for private radio stations, “go to town” with any information, especially security issues, without cross-checking with the police, and added that it was time owners of the private radio stations and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), sanctioned reporters who engaged in unprofessional conduct. Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Koforidua yesterday,  Mr Yaagy said when he heard the story on one of the private radio stations, he immediately ordered the Kade District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police, Mr Stephen Delaporte, to deploy policemen to the scene.  “It turned out to be false when our men got there; the place was peaceful but we have some men still there for any eventuality,” he said. Throwing light on the issue, Mr Delaporte said what was perceived to be mayhem was the destruction of a vehicle windscreen by someone believed to belong to a faction in a long-standing chieftaincy dispute at Nkwantanang, which the police are currently investigating. Giving further details, he said on December 27, 2013 at 6 p. m. he heard on Oman FM that judgement on the long-standing Nkwantanang chieftaincy dispute had been given, declaring the chief of the town, Barima Omane II, destooled. He said on December 31, 2013 at 3 p.m., the Abusuapanyin, Nana Adansi Ewusi, the queenmother and two others reported to his outfit that when they were returning from Kyebi, where they had installed a new chief for Nkwantanang, Nana Gyan II, somebody destroyed the windscreen of the vehicle that brought them. Mr Delaporte said the police, after listening to the complaint, pointed out to them that because they had not informed the police about the installation of Nana Gyan, which was in contravention of the Public Order Act, they would also be dealt with. “We are currently investigating both cases and we shall deal with the issues in accordance with the law,” he said. He added that nobody fought at Nkwantanang, was injured or had run away from the town, which had been peaceful throughout the Christmas and New Year celebrations.  

  A book titled “Coming Home from Agege” that vividly captures the period 1983 to 1985 when many Ghanaians migrated from the country to Nigeria to seek greener pastures has been launched in Accra. The reasons for the migration were varied, but Nigeria’s oil find, availability of jobs and the scarcity of essential commodities in Ghana at that time attracted many Ghanaians to that country. Speaking at the launch, Commodore Steve Obimpeh (rtd), Senior Presidential Staffer, Office of the President, said the book recounted the event of the repatriation of Ghanaians deported from Nigeria at the time, an operation that was code-named Exodus I & II. The 242-page book, authored by Mr Kwasi Oduro-Agyekum, recounts the work done by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) government during the period, as it tried to evacuate over two million Ghanaians who were stranded at various borders, airports and harbours in neighbouring West African countries, after they had been given an ultimatum to leave Nigeria. Commodore  Obimpeh said the book, divided into three parts, provided a historical overview of the reasons for Ghanaians’ migration to Nigeria, the expulsion orders and their consequences. “Coming Home from Agege’ narrates the odyssey of energetic Ghanaians who left Ghana for neighbouring Nigeria after the latter had discovered oil,” he observed. Commodore Obimpeh, who is also a former Secretary of Agriculture, said the book narrated and illustrated the story of the African ties, and provided deep insight into the dimensions of its shared history, close relations between cultural and colonial heritage, as well as its interconnected languages. He asked Ghanaian youth to work hard and build the nation, adding, “you may travel out if you must, for education, better skills in new technologies but when you do, please return to Ghana your motherland and contribute your quota to her development.” Author speaks Being a victim of the repatriation exercise, the author, Mr Oduro-Agyekum, stated that the book gave a vivid eyewitness account of the horrifying effects of the ‘go home’ (Ghana must go) orders of 1983 and 1985. He added that the book recorded the dehumanising conditions that resulted from the expulsion orders.  

  Sixty-five people died while 44 others sustained injuries in 4,171 fire outbreaks recorded in 2013, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has said. Eight hundred and thirty-six out of the fire outbreaks occurred in the Ashanti Region, with the Brong Ahafo Region recorded 553 cases, with the Greater Accra and Central Regions registering 547 and 405 cases respectively. According to the acting Head of Public Relations of the GNFS, Mr Ellis Robinson Okoe, periodic fire safety audit conducted by the service had found out that most companies did not adhere to fire safety advice, which caused fire outbreaks. He also said the service had formed a market safety taskforce that moved round the markets to educate market women on fire safety. Mr Okoe said investigations had revealed that market fire outbreaks in 2013 were caused by inferior cables and illegal electrical connections. He said that the service would review all the safety audit reports for the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to ensure that they met safety standards. He advised property owners to provide fire safety gadgets on their premises. Mr Okoe further advised the public to be safety-conscious and take measures to protect themselves against preventable fire accidents. He said the service had established a rapid response team comprising the Police, Fire Service, the Ambulance Unit and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to ensure fire safety. He advised farmers and palm wine tappers to be cautious in their activities, especially in the dry season since a lot of them used fire. Mr Okoe appealed to employers and organisations to ensure that employees were taught basic fire safety measures periodically, adding that the government must provide the needed logistics to combat fires.  

    All the 109 Malian and Guinean citizens who were arrested at Tinga in the Bole District in the Northern Region for illegally prospecting for gold have been deported to their respective countries. According to the Northern Regional Police Crime Officer, Alhaji Mahama Arhin, Immigration Service officials in Tamale requested that the suspects be handed over to them for further interrogation. Alhaji Arhin said the suspects were subsequently questioned and deported through the Hamile border in the Upper West Region.They were arrested on December 21, last year at Tinga, a farming community, where they were  prospecting for gold. The police also retrieved some mining tools, including 66 gold detectors, from the suspects who entered the country without valid travelling documents. According to Alhaji Arhin, the suspects had been engaged in the illegal mining activities for a week. He explained that the arrest was successfully carried out in collaboration with Immigration Service officials in the Bole District, which shares borders with Cote d’Ivoire.    

  A traffic light on the Mpamprom intersection on the Kaneshie road that was destroyed in a motor accident about half a decade ago has not been replaced, thus exposing motorists and pedestrians to danger. Ironically, the danger zone is right behind the Accra Metropolitan Office of the Department of Urban Roads. When The Mirror visited the Acting Accra Metropolitan Roads Engineer, Mr Benjamin Kusi Adoma, in his office at Kaneshie on Monday, December 23, to find out what had caused the delay in replacing the fallen traffic light, he said he was not aware that “the very important” warning signal had been knocked down and taken away by unknown persons. He immediately called one of his lieutenants and together with this reporter, visited the spot where the warning light used to be. He confessed that though the “missing” traffic light used to stand at the intersection right behind his office, he and his officers had not noticed its absence. It was also observed that the intersection had no zebra crossing as the wiped-out road marks on the entire Accra-Mallam road had not been redone, exposing motorists and pedestrians to more hazard. When this reporter questioned the engineer about the numerous broken down road furniture (traffic light, railings, bollards etc.) in the city of Accra, he said his office was aware of some of them but was unable to repair or replace them due to lack of funds. He, however, pointed out that the department of urban roads had embarked on an exercise to identify them and replace or repair them under an upcoming traffic management project being sponsored by the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), (The French Development Agency). The works will involve junction improvement at selected intersections, road line markings and installation of signs in Accra. There will also be junction improvement works at selected intersections in the Tema Metropolis, Ga West District and the La, Nkwantanang and Adenta Municipalities. The Mirror also found out that contractors had actually been invited through the Wednesday, December 18 edition of the Daily Graphic to submit bids for the contract, which is expected to be awarded this month (January, 2014). According to Mr Adoma, works were expected to begin immediately after the contract had been awarded and would be completed in about six months. The project will cover about 38 major roads. The Metropolitan Roads Engineer said there would be asphalt overlay and curb rearrangement on some roads while some roads might be completely redesigned. He reminded motorists that destroying road furniture attracted a fine and appealed to the police to help arrest motorists who knocked them down, as well as the scrap dealers who stole them. A policewoman on duty at Mpamprom, who pleaded anonymity, complained that the numerous faulty and broken down traffic lights and the absence of road markings and other signals on the city’s roads made traffic control very difficult. She charged the Metropolitan Roads Engineer and his team to expedite the traffic management works to make traffic control easier and also prevent accidents on the roads.  

  About 1,450 trucks loaded with cocoa beans are stuck at the terminal of the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) at Apowa, Takoradi in the Western Region. This is as a result of the refusal of loading boys at the terminal to unload the cocoa into the CMC’s Commodity Village Warehouse over poor wages and working conditions. Each truck is said to be carrying at least 600 bags of cocoa beans Apart from the increasing cost to the truck owners, the delay is also believed to be affecting the quality and weight of the beans as the state in which the cocoa beans were loaded into the trucks were not the best. The Head of Public Affairs of COCOBOD, Mr Noah Amenyah, confirmed the problem in an interview and indicated that COCOBOD was doing everything possible to resolve the situation. He explained that besides Apowa, a similar problem existed in Tema in the Greater Accra Region. The congestion, he said, should be partly blamed on the carriers who left for the Christmas holidays and were yet to report for work. Some of the loading boys, who refused to give their names, told the Daily Graphic,“We will not carry the cocoa bags until they give us good wages.” When the Daily Graphic visited the terminal, the drivers said there were as many as 1,450 trucks waiting to discharge their load. Master Kwaku Atta, a driver, said he arrived from the Enchi areas about a month-and-half ago but the truck was yet to be attended to. “I am carrying 600 bags of cocoa, and I cannot do anything now because I cannot take the truck anywhere unless the beans are unloaded. But here we are, the boys have refused to attend to the trucks,” he complained. A visibly troubled truck owner, Mr Baba K. Awudu Issah, said in spite of the delay,  the truck owners were not paid for the period the trucks were kept inactive.