14/08/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
A District Magistrate’s Court in Accra has restrained the two parties in the Gbese chieftaincy dispute from taking part in this year’s Ga Mashie Homowo festival scheduled for Saturday, August 16, 2008.
The Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Oppong Buanuah, who disclosed this in an interview in Accra yesterday, said information reaching the police indicated that there was the likelihood of breaches of peace at Ga Mashie and its environs over the celebrations.
He said following that information, the police on August 5, 2008 filed an affidavit at the James Town District Magistrate’s Court in support of an ex-parte motion for an interim injunction restraining both parties from sprinkling ‘kpokpoi.’
DCOP Buanuah said the police had no option but to take the action in order to maintain the peace in the area.
He said until the claim of the true custodian of the Gbese stool was legally settled, tension would remain in Gbese and its environs.
He named the parties in the dispute as Nii Okaidja III, Christopher Ayittey Adjin, Elder Samuel Agoe Okaidja, Nii Ayikumah Dinseh and Asafoatse Dinsey.
The others are Nii Ayi-Bonte also known as Tommy Okine, Nii Okai Kasablofo Adjin IV, Nii Armah Quaye, Nii Ayikwei Okai and Nii Okai Keteku.
The commander said the police would strongly enforce the order of the court and advised the two parties to adhere to the court’s order by maintaining peace and tranquillity during the Homowo celebrations.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
ACCOUNTANT NABBED FOR POSTING GHOST NAMES ON PAYROLL
8/08/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
AN accountant at the head office of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), who allegedly posted 16 ghost names on the payroll of his employers, has been arrested by the La Police in Accra.
The suspect, Kofi Nudokpo Tordzagbo, 39, was arrested together with two accomplices at the Trade Fair branch of the Barclays Bank in Accra where they had gone to cash the June salaries.
Between April and May, this year, the suspects were said to have managed to cash GH¢27, 210 out of GH¢75, 581 which was paid into different accounts at the Barclays Bank by the Controller and the Accountant General’s Department.
The accomplices are Godwin Wonder, 40 and Christian Dzamade, 25, both unemployed.
According to the La District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Richard Gyebi, all the three suspects were family members from Akatsi in the Volta Region.
He said on June 6, 2008, Godwin and Christian went to open new accounts at the Trade Fair branch of the Barclays Bank with photocopies of their voter ID cards.
He said the two left the bank after the branch manager refused and asked them to produce the original copies of the ID cards.
After that nothing was heard from them until June 30, 2008 when they resurfaced at the bank with the original ID cards with a letter introducing them as new employees from the GHA.
After careful examination of the letter, the branch manager suspected it to be fake so he ordered their arrest by the bank’s security who later handed them over to the police.
When they were searched five voter ID cards bearing the same picture but under different names, two cheques one bearing the names Addison Aikins and Christian Dzamadi and social security forms also filled with different names were found on them.
Upon interrogation they broke down and confessed that it was their brother who was an accountant at the GHA, who inserted their names on the payroll and asked them to cash the money for him for a fee.
While investigations were on-going, Tordzagbo appeared at the police station on July 2, 2008 to bail out the suspects and he was subsequently arrested.
Investigations revealed that between March and June, 2007, Tordzagbo, who is also the liaison officer, managed to prepare new entrants forms for new employees, forged signatures of his superior officers and forwarded them to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for processing.
The usual practice was that all new entrants’ imputs or forms should pass through the Treasury at the Ministry of Transport, but that of the 16 new employees never passed there because Tordzagbo managed to the get the stamps of the ministry and the appropriate signatures through forgery.
When the names of the 16 ghost employees were taken to the Barclays Bank for their statements, it turned out that Godwin had seven accounts with different branches of the bank while Christian had seven accounts.
Between April and June this year, monies paid into the accounts of the 16 ghost employees totalled GH¢75, 581 and out of this amount the suspects were said to have been able to cash GH¢27, 210 at the time of their arrest.
The accounts have been frozen while investigations continue.
Story: Mary Mensah
AN accountant at the head office of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), who allegedly posted 16 ghost names on the payroll of his employers, has been arrested by the La Police in Accra.
The suspect, Kofi Nudokpo Tordzagbo, 39, was arrested together with two accomplices at the Trade Fair branch of the Barclays Bank in Accra where they had gone to cash the June salaries.
Between April and May, this year, the suspects were said to have managed to cash GH¢27, 210 out of GH¢75, 581 which was paid into different accounts at the Barclays Bank by the Controller and the Accountant General’s Department.
The accomplices are Godwin Wonder, 40 and Christian Dzamade, 25, both unemployed.
According to the La District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Richard Gyebi, all the three suspects were family members from Akatsi in the Volta Region.
He said on June 6, 2008, Godwin and Christian went to open new accounts at the Trade Fair branch of the Barclays Bank with photocopies of their voter ID cards.
He said the two left the bank after the branch manager refused and asked them to produce the original copies of the ID cards.
After that nothing was heard from them until June 30, 2008 when they resurfaced at the bank with the original ID cards with a letter introducing them as new employees from the GHA.
After careful examination of the letter, the branch manager suspected it to be fake so he ordered their arrest by the bank’s security who later handed them over to the police.
When they were searched five voter ID cards bearing the same picture but under different names, two cheques one bearing the names Addison Aikins and Christian Dzamadi and social security forms also filled with different names were found on them.
Upon interrogation they broke down and confessed that it was their brother who was an accountant at the GHA, who inserted their names on the payroll and asked them to cash the money for him for a fee.
While investigations were on-going, Tordzagbo appeared at the police station on July 2, 2008 to bail out the suspects and he was subsequently arrested.
Investigations revealed that between March and June, 2007, Tordzagbo, who is also the liaison officer, managed to prepare new entrants forms for new employees, forged signatures of his superior officers and forwarded them to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for processing.
The usual practice was that all new entrants’ imputs or forms should pass through the Treasury at the Ministry of Transport, but that of the 16 new employees never passed there because Tordzagbo managed to the get the stamps of the ministry and the appropriate signatures through forgery.
When the names of the 16 ghost employees were taken to the Barclays Bank for their statements, it turned out that Godwin had seven accounts with different branches of the bank while Christian had seven accounts.
Between April and June this year, monies paid into the accounts of the 16 ghost employees totalled GH¢75, 581 and out of this amount the suspects were said to have been able to cash GH¢27, 210 at the time of their arrest.
The accounts have been frozen while investigations continue.
CALL FOR CONCERTED EFFORTS TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING (PAGE 20 LEAD)
8/08/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
(call for concerted efforts to fight human trafficking)
The Deputy Tema Regional Police Commander has called for a multi-faceted approach on the part of all law enforcement agencies in combating the human trafficking menace to bringing it under control.
He said the Human Trafficking Law (Act 694) would be strictly enforced by the police to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book to serve as a deterrent to others.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) R. M. Ninson said this at a sensitisation durbar at Kpone-on-Sea near Tema to educate the people about the dangers of human trafficking.
He said human trafficking was a growing problem in all parts of the world because it had become a major revenue earner for organised criminal groups and a source of political, social and economic insecurity for states, as well as for individuals.
He said human trafficking mainly involved women and children who were taken from rural or deprived areas to the commercial and urban centres under the pretext of helping them, but end up as domestic servants, hawkers, commercial sex workers, truck pushers and fisher boys, who went under water to disentangle nets leading to some of them dying under the sea.
ACP Ninson said some of the perpetrators of the crime used different methods including abduction, outright sale of children by parents, bonded placement and deceit of parents in acquiring their victims.
He said the menace had a lot of bad effect on the individual, community and the country as a whole and it was upon that that in 2005 Ghana passed the human trafficking law to deal with all forms of trafficking, both domestically and internationally.
He said any person who violated the law was liable to a term of imprisonment not less than five years and advised members of the community with any information on any such crime to inform the police for immediate action to be taken.
For his part, ASP K. Akowuah from the Tema Regional Police said studies had shown that Ghana was becoming a source, transit point and destination country.
He said results of human trafficking were poverty, illiteracy, drug addition and increase in violent crimes such as armed robbery, among others.
The officer in charge of the Migration Management Bureau of the Ghana Immigration Service, Ms Judith Dzokoto, said in the past people blamed this abuse of human trafficking on ignorance but that was no excuse for breaking the law now.
She, therefore, called on all Ghanaians to join hands in the fight against human trafficking to weed it out of the country.
The Chief of Kpone, Nii Tetteh Otu, advised members of the community to report anybody suspected of dealing in human trafficking in order to save the children from this wicked people.
He said children were the future leaders of the nation and all efforts must be made to safeguard them and enable them to grow up to be responsible adults.
Story: Mary Mensah
(call for concerted efforts to fight human trafficking)
The Deputy Tema Regional Police Commander has called for a multi-faceted approach on the part of all law enforcement agencies in combating the human trafficking menace to bringing it under control.
He said the Human Trafficking Law (Act 694) would be strictly enforced by the police to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book to serve as a deterrent to others.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) R. M. Ninson said this at a sensitisation durbar at Kpone-on-Sea near Tema to educate the people about the dangers of human trafficking.
He said human trafficking was a growing problem in all parts of the world because it had become a major revenue earner for organised criminal groups and a source of political, social and economic insecurity for states, as well as for individuals.
He said human trafficking mainly involved women and children who were taken from rural or deprived areas to the commercial and urban centres under the pretext of helping them, but end up as domestic servants, hawkers, commercial sex workers, truck pushers and fisher boys, who went under water to disentangle nets leading to some of them dying under the sea.
ACP Ninson said some of the perpetrators of the crime used different methods including abduction, outright sale of children by parents, bonded placement and deceit of parents in acquiring their victims.
He said the menace had a lot of bad effect on the individual, community and the country as a whole and it was upon that that in 2005 Ghana passed the human trafficking law to deal with all forms of trafficking, both domestically and internationally.
He said any person who violated the law was liable to a term of imprisonment not less than five years and advised members of the community with any information on any such crime to inform the police for immediate action to be taken.
For his part, ASP K. Akowuah from the Tema Regional Police said studies had shown that Ghana was becoming a source, transit point and destination country.
He said results of human trafficking were poverty, illiteracy, drug addition and increase in violent crimes such as armed robbery, among others.
The officer in charge of the Migration Management Bureau of the Ghana Immigration Service, Ms Judith Dzokoto, said in the past people blamed this abuse of human trafficking on ignorance but that was no excuse for breaking the law now.
She, therefore, called on all Ghanaians to join hands in the fight against human trafficking to weed it out of the country.
The Chief of Kpone, Nii Tetteh Otu, advised members of the community to report anybody suspected of dealing in human trafficking in order to save the children from this wicked people.
He said children were the future leaders of the nation and all efforts must be made to safeguard them and enable them to grow up to be responsible adults.
FIVE ARRESTED FOR STEALING RAIL METALS (Page 48)
7/08/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
FIVE men have been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for stealing rail metals belonging to the Ghana Railway Company Limited.
The five were spotted packing the metals into a Mitsubishi truck with registration number GR. 5415 H near Gate 33 in the Airport area at about 1am by a police patrol team.
The suspects are Iddrisu Amadu, Kwabena Anteaboa, Kwabena Asare, Baba Yakubu and Kwasi Ga. Two other accomplices, Eric Vivor and Bright Acheampong, both security men from the Magnum Security Force, who were on duty at the time, are at large.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the CID, Inspector J. B. Darkwa, on July 25, 2008 at about 2 am, the Panther 4 crew on night patrol duties, led by Inspector Patrick Tano, arrested the suspects while on their night patrol duties in the Airport area.
He said the suspects were seen coming out of a yard belonging to the Railway, where two security men from the Magnum Security Force, a private security company, were on guard duty.
Inspector Darkwa said when they were questioned about their action, they informed the patrol men that they were hired by one Issahaka, now at large, to collect some scraps he had purchased from the area to Tema.
He said further investigations revealed that the iron rails, numbering about 50, were the property of Ghana Railways Company, which had been kept in the yard for repair works on the rail lines.
He said the two security men, who had been performing night duties at Gate 33 for sometime now, bargained with Issahaka and sold the said metals to him on the afternoon of July 24, 2008.
The said Issahaka went to the place with a hired Mitsubishi truck with registration No. GR 5415 H driven by Iddrisu Amadu, and the other suspects to collect the items.
However, the suspects alleged that when they went into the yard, they could not lift the metals because they were long and very heavy.
They then abandoned the idea and decided to go home and as soon as they came out of the yard, they were arrested by the patrol men who handed them over to the police.
Upon interrogation, Vivor admitted that he and his colleague bargained with Issahaka to sell the rails for a price of GH¢35 each but they had not collected any money from him.
It was agreed that payment would be effected if the items were collected out of the yard.
The suspects are assisting police investigations while efforts are being made to apprehend Bright Acheampong and Issahaka.
Story: Mary Mensah
FIVE men have been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for stealing rail metals belonging to the Ghana Railway Company Limited.
The five were spotted packing the metals into a Mitsubishi truck with registration number GR. 5415 H near Gate 33 in the Airport area at about 1am by a police patrol team.
The suspects are Iddrisu Amadu, Kwabena Anteaboa, Kwabena Asare, Baba Yakubu and Kwasi Ga. Two other accomplices, Eric Vivor and Bright Acheampong, both security men from the Magnum Security Force, who were on duty at the time, are at large.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the CID, Inspector J. B. Darkwa, on July 25, 2008 at about 2 am, the Panther 4 crew on night patrol duties, led by Inspector Patrick Tano, arrested the suspects while on their night patrol duties in the Airport area.
He said the suspects were seen coming out of a yard belonging to the Railway, where two security men from the Magnum Security Force, a private security company, were on guard duty.
Inspector Darkwa said when they were questioned about their action, they informed the patrol men that they were hired by one Issahaka, now at large, to collect some scraps he had purchased from the area to Tema.
He said further investigations revealed that the iron rails, numbering about 50, were the property of Ghana Railways Company, which had been kept in the yard for repair works on the rail lines.
He said the two security men, who had been performing night duties at Gate 33 for sometime now, bargained with Issahaka and sold the said metals to him on the afternoon of July 24, 2008.
The said Issahaka went to the place with a hired Mitsubishi truck with registration No. GR 5415 H driven by Iddrisu Amadu, and the other suspects to collect the items.
However, the suspects alleged that when they went into the yard, they could not lift the metals because they were long and very heavy.
They then abandoned the idea and decided to go home and as soon as they came out of the yard, they were arrested by the patrol men who handed them over to the police.
Upon interrogation, Vivor admitted that he and his colleague bargained with Issahaka to sell the rails for a price of GH¢35 each but they had not collected any money from him.
It was agreed that payment would be effected if the items were collected out of the yard.
The suspects are assisting police investigations while efforts are being made to apprehend Bright Acheampong and Issahaka.
THREE ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER (Page40)
6/08/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has arrested three men for attempting to assassinate a businesswoman resident at the Trassaco Valley.
The three suspects are Eric Gyimah, 22, a student, David Amponsah, 27, a baker and Raymond Nii Odartey Lathbridge, 27, an artist.
The Public Relations Officer of the CID, Inspector J. B. Darkwa, said on June 6, 2008 the complainant received a phone call from Eric to the effect that some Nigerians were planning to assassinate her so she should beware, and the line went off.
She received another call on June 29, 2008 from Eric to inform her that she should give him GH¢7,000 to be given to the Nigerians for them not to carry out their attack, since the Nigerians had received GH¢4,000 from the person who contracted them to kill her.
Eric went ahead to tell the complainant that he would give her a compact disc containing a conversation of the assassination plot to kill her.
The complainant was said to have told Eric that she could only raise GH¢4000 which Eric readily accepted so she became suspicious and reported the matter to the police.
Eric called on July 9, 2008 and told the complainant to meet him at the University Farms at Ashalley Botwe after their previous arrangement to meet to deliver the CD to her in exchange for the GH¢4,000, had not come off.
On the day of the appointment, Eric involved the other two to monitor the movement of the complainant from her residence to the agreed location while he positioned himself closer to the complainants residence.
Unknown to the three suspects the police had also laid ambush and were monitoring their movements and were arrested as soon as they got to the University Farms.
Eric in his caution statement denied the offence and mentioned one Evans as the person who contacted him to tell the complainant those stories in order to receive GH¢4,000 from her.
Further investigations by the police revealed that it was Eric who hatched the plot and requested the assistance of the two with a promise to pay them GH¢300 each if the plan went through.
Eric, however, failed to lead the police to the said Evans for his arrest but stated that he met the said Evans on his way home from school and did not know where he lived.
The three suspects have been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court and granted bail in the sum of GH¢17,000 each. The case had been adjourned to August 13, 2008.
Story: Mary Mensah
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has arrested three men for attempting to assassinate a businesswoman resident at the Trassaco Valley.
The three suspects are Eric Gyimah, 22, a student, David Amponsah, 27, a baker and Raymond Nii Odartey Lathbridge, 27, an artist.
The Public Relations Officer of the CID, Inspector J. B. Darkwa, said on June 6, 2008 the complainant received a phone call from Eric to the effect that some Nigerians were planning to assassinate her so she should beware, and the line went off.
She received another call on June 29, 2008 from Eric to inform her that she should give him GH¢7,000 to be given to the Nigerians for them not to carry out their attack, since the Nigerians had received GH¢4,000 from the person who contracted them to kill her.
Eric went ahead to tell the complainant that he would give her a compact disc containing a conversation of the assassination plot to kill her.
The complainant was said to have told Eric that she could only raise GH¢4000 which Eric readily accepted so she became suspicious and reported the matter to the police.
Eric called on July 9, 2008 and told the complainant to meet him at the University Farms at Ashalley Botwe after their previous arrangement to meet to deliver the CD to her in exchange for the GH¢4,000, had not come off.
On the day of the appointment, Eric involved the other two to monitor the movement of the complainant from her residence to the agreed location while he positioned himself closer to the complainants residence.
Unknown to the three suspects the police had also laid ambush and were monitoring their movements and were arrested as soon as they got to the University Farms.
Eric in his caution statement denied the offence and mentioned one Evans as the person who contacted him to tell the complainant those stories in order to receive GH¢4,000 from her.
Further investigations by the police revealed that it was Eric who hatched the plot and requested the assistance of the two with a promise to pay them GH¢300 each if the plan went through.
Eric, however, failed to lead the police to the said Evans for his arrest but stated that he met the said Evans on his way home from school and did not know where he lived.
The three suspects have been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court and granted bail in the sum of GH¢17,000 each. The case had been adjourned to August 13, 2008.
POLICE SIEZED 44 STOLEN VEHICLES (Centre Spread Lead)
3/08/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
FORTY-FOUR vehicles, believed to have been stolen from foreign countries, have been impounded by the Ghana Police Service following a three-day exercise within the Accra-Tema metropolis.
The exercise, code-named ‘Operation SEMTA’, was organised by the INTERPOL Sub-Regional Bureau based in Abidjan, in conjunction with its General Secretariat in Lyon, France, to fight against the importation of stolen vehicles into four West African countries, namely Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
DSP Faustina Andoh-Kwofie, head of INTERPOL Ghana, in a briefing to the press in Accra yesterday, said the general secretariat had developed the Automated Search Facility Stolen Vehicle (ASF-SWV) database to support the police in member countries in the fight against international vehicle theft and trafficking.
She said by the end of 2007, the database had more than 4.2 million records of reported stolen motor vehicles. She added that due to its global nature, the fight against organised crime called for partnership and effective collaboration among nations.
DSP Andoh-Kwofie said the vehicles were not only stolen for their own sake but sometimes they were trafficked to finance other crimes or used as bomb carriers in effecting other crimes.
She indicated that the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), the Immigration Service, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Driver and Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) assisted the police during the operation and so far 38 of the seized vehicles had been confirmed as stolen from Canada, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and The Netherlands, among other places.
She said the remaining six had their chassis numbers tampered with and that made it difficult to detect whether they were stolen or not.
According to the commander, although the exercise was concentrated in the Accra and the Tema areas, it would be extended to the other regions.
She said statements had been taken from the owners of the seized vehicles and those who sold them to their current owners. She stated that after investigations the vehicles would be sent back to those from whom they were stolen if those owners were willing to bear the cost of shipment. If not they would be confiscated to the state.
She appealed to prospective car buyers to go to the CID headquarters in Accra and cross-check with the INTERPOL office before effecting any payment to avoid loss of money.
Story: Mary Mensah
FORTY-FOUR vehicles, believed to have been stolen from foreign countries, have been impounded by the Ghana Police Service following a three-day exercise within the Accra-Tema metropolis.
The exercise, code-named ‘Operation SEMTA’, was organised by the INTERPOL Sub-Regional Bureau based in Abidjan, in conjunction with its General Secretariat in Lyon, France, to fight against the importation of stolen vehicles into four West African countries, namely Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
DSP Faustina Andoh-Kwofie, head of INTERPOL Ghana, in a briefing to the press in Accra yesterday, said the general secretariat had developed the Automated Search Facility Stolen Vehicle (ASF-SWV) database to support the police in member countries in the fight against international vehicle theft and trafficking.
She said by the end of 2007, the database had more than 4.2 million records of reported stolen motor vehicles. She added that due to its global nature, the fight against organised crime called for partnership and effective collaboration among nations.
DSP Andoh-Kwofie said the vehicles were not only stolen for their own sake but sometimes they were trafficked to finance other crimes or used as bomb carriers in effecting other crimes.
She indicated that the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), the Immigration Service, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Driver and Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) assisted the police during the operation and so far 38 of the seized vehicles had been confirmed as stolen from Canada, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and The Netherlands, among other places.
She said the remaining six had their chassis numbers tampered with and that made it difficult to detect whether they were stolen or not.
According to the commander, although the exercise was concentrated in the Accra and the Tema areas, it would be extended to the other regions.
She said statements had been taken from the owners of the seized vehicles and those who sold them to their current owners. She stated that after investigations the vehicles would be sent back to those from whom they were stolen if those owners were willing to bear the cost of shipment. If not they would be confiscated to the state.
She appealed to prospective car buyers to go to the CID headquarters in Accra and cross-check with the INTERPOL office before effecting any payment to avoid loss of money.
MAN ARRESTED FOR DEFRAUDING PROSPECTIVE TENANTS (Page 28)
7/8/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
A 43-year-old estate agent who allegedly duped a number of persons under the pretext of renting out an apartment to them has been arrested by the police in Accra.
The suspect, Martin Ackah, commonly known as Mr Mensah, was arrested by security officers at the offices of the Daily Graphic, where he went to place an advert, and was later handed over to the police.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the CID, Inspector J.B. Darkwa, two men, a legal practitioner and a medical officer, both resident in Accra, came to the headquarters and reported that they had been duped by an estate agent.
He said the two men indicated that in June, 2008, the suspect made a publication in the Daily Graphic that he had a three-bedroom flat at Adenta to rent out to prospective tenants.
The suspect put telephone numbers under the publication, so the two men quickly called and expressed interest in the apartment, after which they scheduled a meeting.
After the meeting, the suspect took them on separate occasions to the house for inspection and having been satisfied with this false representation, both victims parted with GH¢7,680 cash to the suspect.
The suspect, after collecting the money, promised to hand over the keys to them the following day, but failed to turn up and subsequently switched off his cell phone and went into hiding.
All efforts to locate him proved futile until a report was made to the police who alerted the Daily Graphic to be on the lookout for the suspect.
On July 25, 2008, the suspect again sent another man to the Daily Graphic to make another publication on a house at another location, and as soon as the man entered the office, he was arrested.
He later led the police to arrest the suspect and further investigations revealed that the suspect had no flat to rent out, and that the three-bedroom flat he showed to the complainants belonged to a group of syndicates who went round making such false publications in the newspapers in order to defraud unsuspecting members of society.
In his caution statement, the suspect admitted the offence.
Story: Mary Mensah
A 43-year-old estate agent who allegedly duped a number of persons under the pretext of renting out an apartment to them has been arrested by the police in Accra.
The suspect, Martin Ackah, commonly known as Mr Mensah, was arrested by security officers at the offices of the Daily Graphic, where he went to place an advert, and was later handed over to the police.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the CID, Inspector J.B. Darkwa, two men, a legal practitioner and a medical officer, both resident in Accra, came to the headquarters and reported that they had been duped by an estate agent.
He said the two men indicated that in June, 2008, the suspect made a publication in the Daily Graphic that he had a three-bedroom flat at Adenta to rent out to prospective tenants.
The suspect put telephone numbers under the publication, so the two men quickly called and expressed interest in the apartment, after which they scheduled a meeting.
After the meeting, the suspect took them on separate occasions to the house for inspection and having been satisfied with this false representation, both victims parted with GH¢7,680 cash to the suspect.
The suspect, after collecting the money, promised to hand over the keys to them the following day, but failed to turn up and subsequently switched off his cell phone and went into hiding.
All efforts to locate him proved futile until a report was made to the police who alerted the Daily Graphic to be on the lookout for the suspect.
On July 25, 2008, the suspect again sent another man to the Daily Graphic to make another publication on a house at another location, and as soon as the man entered the office, he was arrested.
He later led the police to arrest the suspect and further investigations revealed that the suspect had no flat to rent out, and that the three-bedroom flat he showed to the complainants belonged to a group of syndicates who went round making such false publications in the newspapers in order to defraud unsuspecting members of society.
In his caution statement, the suspect admitted the offence.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
GHANA US COLLABORATE ON DRUG MENACE (Page14)
01/08/08
Story: Mary Mensah
Ghana and the United States of America have signed an agreement for the construction of a new drug interdiction facility at the Kotoka International Airport.
The $75,000 X-ray facility will help the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) to detect drugs on individuals and it is expected to greatly enhance the processing of drug traffickers and other criminals at the airport.
The Charge d’Affairs at the US Embassy in Accra, Ms Sue Brown, signed the agreement for her government, while the Director of NACOB, Mr Ben Botwe, signed for the Ghana government.
According to Ms Brown, the facility, which formed part of the Airport Security Enhancement Project, was being funded by the US Africa Command.
She said the agreement was another step towards strengthening the already significant level of law enforcement co-operation between the US and Ghana, saying it would increase Ghana’s capacity to combat the growing problem of narcotics trafficking in the region.
She indicated that the goal was to create a facility within the airport to support counter narcotics activities and said when it became fully operational, it would significantly increase the ability of NACOB and its partners such as the UK- supported Project Westbridge to detect narcotics traffickers.
“We are confident that the development of this facility will support efforts at drug interdiction. We look forward to building on this additional measure to strengthen co-operation between our nations in the area of law enforcement,” she said.
The Charge d’Affairs said the US remained a committed partner of Ghana’s in facing the challenges ahead.
For his part, Mr Botwe said transporting people who were suspected to have swallowed drugs from the airport to the 37 Military Hospital for X-ray had not been easy, saying that the new facility would help detect the drugs at the airport and suspects would no longer be sent to the hospital.
He said the facility would greatly assist NACOB in its work and thanked the US government for its continuous support in terms of equipment and training.
He said a number officials from NACOB had undergone training programmes both in and out of the country, with the support of the US government, and announced that some staff members of the board would undergo similar training in Botswana in August this year.
Story: Mary Mensah
Ghana and the United States of America have signed an agreement for the construction of a new drug interdiction facility at the Kotoka International Airport.
The $75,000 X-ray facility will help the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) to detect drugs on individuals and it is expected to greatly enhance the processing of drug traffickers and other criminals at the airport.
The Charge d’Affairs at the US Embassy in Accra, Ms Sue Brown, signed the agreement for her government, while the Director of NACOB, Mr Ben Botwe, signed for the Ghana government.
According to Ms Brown, the facility, which formed part of the Airport Security Enhancement Project, was being funded by the US Africa Command.
She said the agreement was another step towards strengthening the already significant level of law enforcement co-operation between the US and Ghana, saying it would increase Ghana’s capacity to combat the growing problem of narcotics trafficking in the region.
She indicated that the goal was to create a facility within the airport to support counter narcotics activities and said when it became fully operational, it would significantly increase the ability of NACOB and its partners such as the UK- supported Project Westbridge to detect narcotics traffickers.
“We are confident that the development of this facility will support efforts at drug interdiction. We look forward to building on this additional measure to strengthen co-operation between our nations in the area of law enforcement,” she said.
The Charge d’Affairs said the US remained a committed partner of Ghana’s in facing the challenges ahead.
For his part, Mr Botwe said transporting people who were suspected to have swallowed drugs from the airport to the 37 Military Hospital for X-ray had not been easy, saying that the new facility would help detect the drugs at the airport and suspects would no longer be sent to the hospital.
He said the facility would greatly assist NACOB in its work and thanked the US government for its continuous support in terms of equipment and training.
He said a number officials from NACOB had undergone training programmes both in and out of the country, with the support of the US government, and announced that some staff members of the board would undergo similar training in Botswana in August this year.
THIEVES BROKE INTO OTABIL'S HOUSE (PAGE 1 B)
25/07/08
Story: Mary Mensah
Thieves have broken into the Trasaaco Valley residence of one of Ghana’s most respected Men of God, Pastor Mensah Otabil, and made away with some personal belongings.
Items stolen from the house included two laptops, two mobile phones and an unspecified amount of money.
The pastor, who was asleep in his bedroom, only discovered the break-in and theft when he and his family woke up on Wednesday morning. He then reported the matter to the East Legon Police.
Mr Albert Rockson, Director of Administration at the Christ Temple confirmed the theft and said it could not be associated with robbery because there was no threat of violence on anybody.
He said also that there was no damage to any of the doors so it could either be that one of the doors was not properly locked or that the thieves had a spare key to one of the doors.
“The whole incident looks bizarre because they could have taken more things than they have done. There were some other things there which were untouched,” he said.
According to the Commander of the Legon District Police, DSP Saddik Osei, the pastor had retired to bed with his family on Tuesday night and when he woke up the following morning and entered the sitting room, he realised that there had been a break in and two laptops and the other items were missing.
The commander said when the report was made to the East Legon Police, a team of policemen, including crime scene investigators, was dispatched to the house.
DSP Osei said luckily the pastor and his family had not tampered with the evidence so the fingerprints on the items in the hall and those of the other residents of the house were taken.
He said investigations revealed that the thieves scaled the wall from the back of the house because that provided them with an easier option than the main gate.
He said the wall around the house was very short and there was no security presence there, compared with other houses in the area.
The commander said no arrest had been made but that investigations would continue and appealed to members of the public to endeavour to be security conscious by putting in place measures that would ward off criminals from their property.
Story: Mary Mensah
Thieves have broken into the Trasaaco Valley residence of one of Ghana’s most respected Men of God, Pastor Mensah Otabil, and made away with some personal belongings.
Items stolen from the house included two laptops, two mobile phones and an unspecified amount of money.
The pastor, who was asleep in his bedroom, only discovered the break-in and theft when he and his family woke up on Wednesday morning. He then reported the matter to the East Legon Police.
Mr Albert Rockson, Director of Administration at the Christ Temple confirmed the theft and said it could not be associated with robbery because there was no threat of violence on anybody.
He said also that there was no damage to any of the doors so it could either be that one of the doors was not properly locked or that the thieves had a spare key to one of the doors.
“The whole incident looks bizarre because they could have taken more things than they have done. There were some other things there which were untouched,” he said.
According to the Commander of the Legon District Police, DSP Saddik Osei, the pastor had retired to bed with his family on Tuesday night and when he woke up the following morning and entered the sitting room, he realised that there had been a break in and two laptops and the other items were missing.
The commander said when the report was made to the East Legon Police, a team of policemen, including crime scene investigators, was dispatched to the house.
DSP Osei said luckily the pastor and his family had not tampered with the evidence so the fingerprints on the items in the hall and those of the other residents of the house were taken.
He said investigations revealed that the thieves scaled the wall from the back of the house because that provided them with an easier option than the main gate.
He said the wall around the house was very short and there was no security presence there, compared with other houses in the area.
The commander said no arrest had been made but that investigations would continue and appealed to members of the public to endeavour to be security conscious by putting in place measures that would ward off criminals from their property.
POLICE SERVICE NEEDS RESOURCES- MINISTER
28/07/08
Story: Mary Mensah & Sahadatu Atintande
The Interior Minister, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufour, has called on corporate organisations to partner the government in ensuring that the Ghana Police Service is adequately resourced.
He said the police service was the principal security agency entrusted with the responsibility for maintaining internal law and order, hence the need to support it to enable it give its best.
The minister made the call at a meeting with high ranking police officers and members of the Chamber of Mines in Accra last Friday.
He said the meeting, the second to be held, formed part of an initiative by the Ministry of Interior to reach out to corporate bodies to support the police.
Dr Addo-Kufour said the government had since 2001 provided the police with considerable resources with the aim of making the service efficient and effective.
He said from a staff strength of 15,983 in 2001 the current number of personnel stood at 22, 629 and about 500 vehicles had been purchased for the service since that time.
Many communication gadgets of various types have also been made available to the police, Dr Addo Kufuor added.
In addition, he said, many training courses, both local and abroad, had been arranged for the personnel to enhance their capacity while service conditions had also been improved.
“ I am aware that most mining companies spend huge sums of money on private security arrangements, I therefore entreat you to extend your corporate social responsibility to the Ghana police to enhance the capability and effectiveness of the service”, he appealed.
Dr Addo-Kufour said a well equipped and capable police service would ensure peace in the community and a safe environment for prosperous mining operations.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, noted that ensuring security for the nation was a shared responsibility which must not be left to the police service alone.
She, therefore, urged well meaning Ghanaians to join forces with the police to ensure that rule of law worked and also that peace and security prevailed to create a crime-free Ghana.
Ms Aryee said the Chamber of Mines had been supporting the Police Service but had gone through some period of fatigue recently.
She gave the assurance that the Chamber had taken note of the issues raised by the Police Service and would do their best to address them.
Ms Aryee expressed concern about the activities of illegal and unlicensed miners, which she claimed were on the increase and described them as a threat to the mining sector.
She said illegal miners must be conversant with the law and desist from breaking it in the name of unemployment.
“ Gold is not the only mineral available for mining in this country, there are possibilities of mining other equally important minerals such as clay, stone and bauxite” she noted.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mrs Elizabeth Mills Robertson, said although the government had done a lot to advance the Police Service, there was still more to be done.
She said 30 years ago, almost every police station in the country had a vehicle but the situation had changed because of the increase in the number of police stations.
Story: Mary Mensah & Sahadatu Atintande
The Interior Minister, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufour, has called on corporate organisations to partner the government in ensuring that the Ghana Police Service is adequately resourced.
He said the police service was the principal security agency entrusted with the responsibility for maintaining internal law and order, hence the need to support it to enable it give its best.
The minister made the call at a meeting with high ranking police officers and members of the Chamber of Mines in Accra last Friday.
He said the meeting, the second to be held, formed part of an initiative by the Ministry of Interior to reach out to corporate bodies to support the police.
Dr Addo-Kufour said the government had since 2001 provided the police with considerable resources with the aim of making the service efficient and effective.
He said from a staff strength of 15,983 in 2001 the current number of personnel stood at 22, 629 and about 500 vehicles had been purchased for the service since that time.
Many communication gadgets of various types have also been made available to the police, Dr Addo Kufuor added.
In addition, he said, many training courses, both local and abroad, had been arranged for the personnel to enhance their capacity while service conditions had also been improved.
“ I am aware that most mining companies spend huge sums of money on private security arrangements, I therefore entreat you to extend your corporate social responsibility to the Ghana police to enhance the capability and effectiveness of the service”, he appealed.
Dr Addo-Kufour said a well equipped and capable police service would ensure peace in the community and a safe environment for prosperous mining operations.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, noted that ensuring security for the nation was a shared responsibility which must not be left to the police service alone.
She, therefore, urged well meaning Ghanaians to join forces with the police to ensure that rule of law worked and also that peace and security prevailed to create a crime-free Ghana.
Ms Aryee said the Chamber of Mines had been supporting the Police Service but had gone through some period of fatigue recently.
She gave the assurance that the Chamber had taken note of the issues raised by the Police Service and would do their best to address them.
Ms Aryee expressed concern about the activities of illegal and unlicensed miners, which she claimed were on the increase and described them as a threat to the mining sector.
She said illegal miners must be conversant with the law and desist from breaking it in the name of unemployment.
“ Gold is not the only mineral available for mining in this country, there are possibilities of mining other equally important minerals such as clay, stone and bauxite” she noted.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mrs Elizabeth Mills Robertson, said although the government had done a lot to advance the Police Service, there was still more to be done.
She said 30 years ago, almost every police station in the country had a vehicle but the situation had changed because of the increase in the number of police stations.
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