Monday, January 21, 2013

Agya Koo for court today

Agya Koo is to appear before the Accra Circuit Court today on charges of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit, migrant smuggling, and defrauding by false pretences.
The popular actor, who was arrested last Friday, was placed in police custody until today when he is expected to make his first appearance in court. 
Following the arrest warrant issued by the Accra Circuit Court and the subsequent publication in the Daily Graphic of his alleged fraud, Agya Koo reported himself to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service at 10 a.m. on Friday, January I8, 20I3.
After the publication of the story in the Daily Graphic, I3 more people have reported to the police that each of them has been defrauded of $1,850 by the popular Ghanaian actor and comedian under the pretext of securing United States of America (USA) visas for them.
Four of the 13 reported the alleged fraud to the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Ghana Police Service in Accra yesterday, while nine others called the police from Kumasi, claiming that they had also suffered from Agya Koo’s alleged scam.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has denied reports that Agya Koo cleverly beat immigration officials at the airport after an arrest warrant was issued by the Accra Circuit Court.
A statement by the Head of Public Affairs of the GIS, Mr Francis Palmdeti, on Friday, January 18, 2013, said the service received the warrant for Agya Koo’s arrest at 5.30 p.m. on January 8, 2013, while records at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) indicated that the suspect left the country at 4.36 p.m. the same day.
“Documentary evidence from the Immigration Control at the KIA indicates that the said warrant from the CID of the Ghana Police Service was received at 5:30 p.m., while the suspect left the country on Emirates Airlines at 4:36 p.m. This implies that the suspect had departed one hour before the warrant was handed over to the GIS/KIA,” it said.

Soldiers Clash with Landguards

TWO soldiers who clashed with land guards at Dansoman on Saturday over a disputed land have been arrested by the police.
The two, whose names are being withheld, are alleged to have been hired along with two other soldiers by a private developer to demolish structures on the disputed land at Dansoman Akokorphoto in Accra but they were met with fierce resistance by a group of land guards.
But for the timely intervention of the Dansoman Police, there would have been a blood bath between the four soldiers and the land guards.
According to the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Freeman Tettey, a confrontation ensued between the land guards and the soldiers but before matters could get worse, the police rushed to the scene, following a report to them by a concerned resident, to maintain law and order.
DSP Tettey said two of the four military men were arrested but the other two managed to escape.
He indicated that the two military men had been handed over to the Military High Command for further investigations and possible disciplinary action.
He said the police had mounted an intensive search for the arrest of a land guard also hired by the private developer.
DSP Tettey said preliminary investigations conducted into the incident revealed that  the soldiers had not been authorised to undertake any demolition exercise.
He said the disputed land was originally part of the State Farms Project but the government gave it back to the original owners after the project had folded up.

Agya Koo Nabbed

Thirteen more people have reported to the police that each of them has been defrauded of $1,850 by the popular Ghanaian actor and comedian, Kofi Adu, also known as Agya Koo, under the pretext of securing United States of America (USA) visas for them.
Four of the 13 reported the alleged fraud to the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Ghana Police Service in Accra yesterday, while nine others called the police from Kumasi, claiming that they had also suffered from Agya Koo’s alleged scam.
Following the arrest warrant issued by the Accra Circuit Court and the subsequent publication in the Daily Graphic of his alleged fraud, Agya Koo reported himself to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service at 10 a.m. yesterday.
His presence at the AHTU attracted some policemen and members of the public who shouted, “Agya Koo Gbegbentus! Agya Koo Gbegentus!” as the comedian was led from the fifth floor of the CID Headquarters to the cells on the ground floor. 
Agya Koo Gbegbentus is the title of one of the movies in which the comedian starred, alongside Idikoko, another popular actor
Earlier, Agya Koo was said to have told the police that he was in Kumasi when the news about his alleged fraud broke.  He, therefore, quickly, travelled to Accra to report himself and set the records straight.
After his rights had been made known to him under the law, Agya Koo decided to call his lawyer, Capt Nkrabea Effah-Darteh (retd), before writing his statement.
The Head of the AHTU, Superintendent, Mrs Patience Quaye, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that Agya Koo admitted to the offence but explained that  $850 was a non-refundable registration fee, while $1,000 was for visa processing and a work permit in the USA.
 Agya Koo is scheduled to be put before court on Monday, January 21, 2012 on charges of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit, migrant smuggling, and defrauding by false pretences.
The popular actor will remain in police custody until Monday when he is expected to be put before court. 
According to Mrs Quaye, following the publication of the story in the Daily Graphic, the unit had been inundated with calls from the suspect’s other victims in Kumasi who claimed that they were among those who had been taken to the United States Embassy but ended up without the visas.
She said so far four persons had reported their cases to the unit, while nine others had called from Kumasi claiming to be victims of Agya Koo’s alleged scam.
According to Mrs Quaye, the nine had indicated their intention to travel to Accra on Monday to give their statements to the police.
It would be recalled that yesterday’s issue of this paper carried the story that an Accra Circuit Court had issued a warrant for Agya Koo’s arrest for allegedly defrauding an individual of GH¢3,800 by false pretence.
The warrant, issued in Accra on January 8, 2013, directed the police to apprehend Agya Koo and produce him before the court to answer charges of fraud levelled against him by the complainant.
The ace comedian, who had initially cut off the call to him by the Daily Graphic, with the explanation that he was busy at work, later called to deny having collected that amount of money from Mr Stephen Kwarteng, the complainant, although he admitted knowing Mr Kwarteng.
The Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Prosper Agblor, told the Daily Graphic that a report of fraud had been made against the suspect by Mr Kwarteng, who alleged that the comedian had taken GH¢3,800 from him under the pretext of helping him travel to the United States of America (USA).
According to Mr Agblor, although the warrant was placed at all exit and entry points in the country to prevent the suspect from travelling out of the country, Agya Koo managed to beat immigration officials at the Kotoka International Airport and travelled to Abu Dhabi to watch the friendly football match between Ghana and Tunisia.

Agya Koo Popular Ghanaian Actor and Comedian is Hot

THE Accra Circuit Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of popular Ghanaian actor and comedian, Kofi Adu, also known as Agya Koo, for allegedly defrauding an individual of GH¢3,800 by false pretence.
The warrant, issued in Accra on January 8, 2013, directed the police to apprehend Agya Koo and produce him before the court to answer charges of fraud levelled against him by a complainant.
But the ace comedian, who had initially cut off the call to him by the Daily Graphic, with the explanation that he was busy at work, later called to deny having collected that amount of money from Mr Stephen Kwarteng, the complainant, although he admitted knowing Mr Kwarteng.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Prosper Agblor, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that a report of fraud had been made against the suspect by Mr Kwarteng, who alleged that the comedian had taken GH¢3,800 from him under the pretext of helping him travel to the United States of America (USA).
According to Mr Agblor, although the warrant was placed at all exit and entry points in the country to prevent the suspect from travelling out of the country, Agya Koo managed to beat immigration officials at the Kotoka Internal Airport and travelled to Abu Dhabi to watch the friendly football match between Ghana and Tunisia.
The director-general indicated that the complainant reported to the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the CID that some time in 2011, he (complainant) expressed the desire to travel abroad and discussed the issue with a friend, who introduced Agya Koo to complainant as a friend who could help him realise his dream.
Thereafter, the complainant and his friend called Agya Koo to inform him about Mr Kwarteng’s intentions to travel to the USA.
Mr Agblor said Agya Koo later invited the two friends to his house at Alhaji Tabora in Accra for further discussions.
During subsequent discussions, Agya Koo told them that he had helped many people to travel outside the country and promised to take Kwarteng out in January 2012.
The complainant claimed that on the day of the meeting, Agya Koo indicated that he was leaving for Kumasi and allegedly requested the complainant to bring him GH¢3,800 for the processing of the documents.
Mr Agblor said because Mr Kwarteng claimed he did not have the money at that time, Agya Koo asked him to pay the said amount later and the complainant later took the money to the Takyiman residence of Agya Koo in Kumasi.
After Kwarteng had allegedly handed over the money to Agya Koo, the suspect promised to process the necessary documents for the visa at the American Embassy.
Two months later, Agya Koo called to inform Mr Kwarteng that the visa was ready for collection at the embassy and requested that the complainant meet him under the tree at the roundabout close to the America Embassy.
When Mr Kwarteng got to the roundabout, he met 10 other people who were also waiting for Agya Koo to pick up their visas.
Agya Koo showed up later armed with a bag full of documents claiming to be the visa application forms and passports and asked his “clients” to wait for him under the tree while he went to the embassy to meet the consular for their visas.
After three hours of waiting under the three, Agya Koo was said to have called those waiting for him that he was at Busy Internet at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and requested his “clients” to meet him there.
According to Mr Agblor, it was at Busy Internet that Agya Koo informed them that they had been refused the American visas but quickly promised to secure them either Canadian or Australian visas.
The CID Chief said Kwarteng claimed that after that meeting, anytime he called Agya Koo, he (Agya Koo) kept giving one explanation or another.
According to the Director of the AHTU of the CID, Superintendent Mrs Patience Quaye, a report on the alleged fraud was made to the police on January 4, 2013.
However, all efforts to get  Agya Koo to report himself and assist in investigations failed, compelling the police to take the matter to court.
Although Agya Koo was informed of the case in court, he failed to show up, an action which compelled the court to issue a warrant for his arrest.
At the time of filing this report, a source at the CID Headquarters told the Daily Graphic that Agya Koo had called to avail himself to the police today.

Health Insurance Knowledge Centre to be Established in Ghana

Plans are far advanced for the establishment of a Health Insurance Knowledge Centre for the Africa Region in Ghana to build the knowledge and capacity of policy makers, managers and practitioners in the field of health insurance in Africa.
The centre is expected to provide expertise and training on health insurance to many countries and institutions across the world.
The Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr Sylvester A. Mensah, who disclosed this at the opening of a workshop in Accra yesterday to discuss a feasibility studies report on the establishment of the centre and chart the way forward, said the idea to set up the institution was put forward by the NHIA with support from its development partners.
He said the essence of the centre would be to make good use of the rich knowledge base of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme ( NHIS), which has become a global model for health insurance and widely cited by many academics as a worthy example of social health insurance.
He asserted that the centre would be opened to all interested persons and institutions across the world and would also deepen Ghana’s current position as a leading global model of social health insurance.
According to Mr Mensah, the global centre, which would be located in Ghana, was to provide the opportunity for knowledge sharing and acquisition in the context of health insurance.
He mentioned that the forum was also to build capacity of the personnel and to sell the idea of a health insurance learning centre to see how best it could be supported and financed.
The consultant working on the feasibility of the learning centre project, Dr Nicholas Tweneboah, indicated that the centre would be important in bridging the health insurance knowledge capacity gaps that existed in many countries as they related to theory, practice and research.
Dr Tweneboah was grateful to Pharm Access Foundation, the Uganda Martyrs University, Cordaid and the health insurance fund for providing support to the feasibility study.
A senior programmes manager and researcher with Pharm Access Foundation, Ms Christine Fenenga, noted that establishment of the centre would go a long way to improve knowledge of health insurance and make Ghana a hub where experts on the subject from many parts of the world would come to share and debate ideas relevant to enhancing existing health insurance systems.
The forum drew participants from Uganda, Nigeria, Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands.

Three Men arrested for defrauding a Geologist

THE Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police have in their custody three men who alleged defrauded a geologist GH¢100,000 under the pretext of selling an excavator to him.
The suspects, Steven Darko, 70, Kwabena Asiedu, 38 and Ekow Armah, 32, were arrested at their hideout following a tip off.
A fourth accomplice whose name was given only as Alex is, however, on the run and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the CID, ASP J. B. Darkwa, the complainant is a geologist and owner of a mining site at Anyinam in the Eastern Region.
He said somewhere in September, 2012, an unidentified person yet to be traced went to the victim’s site and told one of his workers that, his brother in the USA had shipped a CL 330 excavator into the country and was offering it for sale.
He said the worker later informed the complainant who expressed interest in buying the excavator and directed that his contact number be given to the supposed owner of the excavator for possible negotiation.
Later the complainant received a call from someone with a foreign phone number who introduced himself as the owner of the excavator and referred the victim to suspect Alex for negotiation. 
The complainant subsequently contacted suspect Alex and after discussions, he was taken to the Tema Harbour where he inspected the excavator. 
ASP Darkwa indicated that Alex quoted the price of the excavator as GH¢210,000 but agreed that the victim should make an initial payment of GH¢110,000 and pay the difference later. 
The complainant agreed to the terms of the transaction so suspect Alex then instructed the victim to make the necessary payment directly to his father in-law, Steven Darko who happens to be a member of the syndicate.
He said on September 3, 2012 suspect Kwabena Asiedu, also a member of the syndicate met the victim and took him to a house at Ashaley Botwe where suspect Steven Darko was already waiting for them for the payment of the money.
He said the complainant paid an amount of GH¢60,000 to Steven Darko in the presence of Kwabena Asiedu and also issued a cheque of GH¢20,000 in addition bringing the total of money paid to the father in law to GH¢80,000.
The PRO said they impressed upon the complainant to cash the GH¢20,000 cheque for them since they don’t want to go through the hassle of cashing money at the bank so he agreed and from Ashaley Botwe, Kwabena Aseidu again accompanied the complainant to the East Legon branch of Fidelity Bank, where the cheque was cashed and handed over to him.
He said complainant was also made to pay another GH¢20,000 to a man supposed to be the agent in respect of payment of custom duties for the clearing of the escavator.
After paying a total of GH¢100,000, the complainant went to the harbour to pick the escavator and was almost arrested by security officials for trying to steal an escavator from the harbour.
He explained to the officials that he had bought the escavator from its owner and showed them documents covering the purchase. It was at this stage that he was told that the escavator does not belong to an individual but a company and that it was not for sale.
It was at this stage that the complainant realised that he had been swindled and when he called all the members of the syndicate they had switched of their phones and had gone into hiding.
When all efforts by the complainant to trace the whereabouts of the suspects failed, he made a report to the police in December last year and following intelligence the police were able to arrest the three suspects on January 4, 2013.
They will be arraigned before court soon after investigations.

Two Nigerians arrested for fraud

TWO Nigerians who defrauded an Ivorian engineer resident in the United Kingdom 10,000 pounds sterling under the pretext of offering him a job in an oil marketing company in Ghana has been arrested by the Commercial Crime Unit (CCRU) of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.
The two suspects, Akpani Hopson Wilson, alias Emmanuel Attah, an electrician and Jonathan Agambilla, alias Adams Coles, were arrested following a tip off.
According to the Director of the CCRU, Superintendent  F. K. Mawusi, the complainant, Gbaddy Jacques Kouadio, was an Ivorian engineer resident in the United Kingdom.
He said Kouadio who was looking for a job posted his detailed curriculum vitae (CV) on the internet in November 2011, in search of employment as an expatriate in Ghana.
Supt Mawusi said he was subsequently contacted by Akpani Hopson Wilson who introduced himself as the Human Resource Manager of TECHNIP Company Limited, an oil company in Ghana.
He said Hopson informed the Ivorian that he has been directed by the Managing Director of TECHNIP to employ him due to his impressive CV and that the company would be paying him a monthly salary of $15,000.
He said the complainant became interested and agreed on the terms of employment offered by the suspects and after series of correspondence Hopson later introduced Jonathan Agambilla to complainant as a lawyer who would represent his interest to execute his employment contract with TECHNIP.
After series of correspondence between the complainant and the two suspects they requested him to pay an amount of £10,000 for the processing of his work permit, opening of bank account, paying of government fees and other documentation.
They instructed the complainant to transfer the £10,000 through UT Bank, Nima and Cantonments branches and Western Union to which complainant complied.
The director said upon receipt of the money, the two suspects stopped communications with the complainant who then realised that the whole deal was a scam.
When all efforts to trace the whereabouts of the suspects failed, the victim made a report to the police at the CID Headquarters in Accra and through intelligence two suspects were subsequently arrested. 
Supt Mawusi indicated that upon interrogation, both suspects admitted collecting the sum of £10,000 from the complainant and shared same among themselves.
He said they also admitted that  the whole transaction was a scam.
Investigations are ongoing after which the two suspects would be arraigned before court.

Inmate strangled another inmate to death

AN inmate of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital allegedly went berserk on Saturday night and strangled a fellow inmate to death.
 Akua Pokua, 27, also pounced on another inmate and caused severe injuries to her eyes and head.
The suspect is said to have torn part of the chiffon red dress worn by Charlotte Nyarko, 35, and used it to strangle her before attacking another victim, Hannah Martey, 30.
According to the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Freeman Tettey, the suspect was admitted to the hospital from Kasoa barely a week ago, while Nyarko had been on admission there since 1986.
He said about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 12, 2013, Pokua, who was on Female Ward Two with other inmates, suddenly became aggressive and started attacking the others.
The nurses on duty managed to put her in an isolated ward at the hospital but, unknown to them, Nyarko and Martey were resting in the same ward.
As soon the nurses closed the door of the ward and left for their offices, Pokua attacked the two inmates when she saw them lying on the bed.
Mr Tettey said the nurses did not hear the screams from the isolated ward because their office was about 60 metres away.
When Pokua, who is heavily built, killed Nyarko, she launched an attack on Martey, hit her head against a wall and attempted to remove her eyes.
However, Martey’s screams were so loud that they caught the attention of the nurses who rushed to the ward, only to find Nyarko dead on the floor, with her red dress tied around her neck.
He said the nurses managed to subdue Pokua, after which she was chained before they made a report to the police.
Martey was rushed to the Ridge Hospital in Accra where she was treated and discharged.
The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital awaiting autopsy.
DSP Tettey said the police were in a dilemma, as the suspect was not in a state to give her statement, a situation which would make it very difficult for the police to investigate the matter.

Ghanaian arrested in the Us for Possessing Heroin

A GHANAIAN has been arrested at the Detroit Airport in the United States of America (USA) for possessing 1.8 kilogrammes of heroin.
The suspect, whose name has been withheld, arrived in the United States from The Netherlands with the heroin which has a street value of $400,000.
According to foreign media reports, on Tuesday, January 8, 2012,  US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport seized 1.8 kilogrammes of heroin from a Ghanaian citizen who had arrived from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The reports said a search by the CBP officers through his belongings revealed a package containing heroin, with an estimated street value of $400,000.
“The relentless effort and dedication of frontline CBP employees has resulted in the interdiction of these illicit drugs, preventing them from reaching the streets and doing harm,”  the CBP Port Director, Devin Chamberlain, said.
The individual was arrested and turned over to US Homeland Security Investigations agents.
The US Attorney’s office will prosecute the individual.
The US CBP is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of US borders at and between the official ports of entry.
The CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country, while enforcing hundreds of US laws.
Meanwhile, the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has contacted its counterpart in the USA for full details on the arrest of the Ghanaian at the Detroit Airport.
According to the Executive Secretary of NACOB, Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, the report received by the board so far was too scanty and so the board had written for full details about the name and age of the suspect.
He said NACOB also wanted to know the last time the individual visited Ghana and how long he had been living in The Netherlands.
That, he said, would enable NACOB to launch full-scale investigations into the arrest of that person.

76 year-old man arrested for fraud

A 76-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested by the Criminal investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for allegedly defrauding some traders and farmers from Tamale for over GH¢100,000 under the pretext of supplying them with tractors on credit and buying their farm produce at higher prizes.
The suspect, Samuel Kittoe, the Deputy General Manager of Agricultural Marketing Development Company of Ghana situated at the Lashibi, was arrested by the police at a hotel at Sakumono where he has been hiding for the past six months.
Another accomplice, Samuel Gyimah, the General Manger of the company, is, however, at large and an intensive search had been mounted by the police for his arrest.
According to the Director General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Prosper Agblor, the suspects’ company placed an advert in the January 6, 2012 edition of the Daily Graphic seeking traders to supply maize, millet, beans and soybeans to the company.
They also placed another advert later in the month in the same paper that the company had in stock tractors which it was offering for sale to farmers on credit basis. These two adverts attracted a number of traders and farmers from Tamale.
He said the complainants in this case were two men - a trader and farmer from Tamale - who came to the police headquarters and reported that they have been defrauded by a company at Lashibi.
COP Agblor said it was believed that a number of people in the region had fallen victims to the activities of the company.
He said the trader, Iddrisu Alhassan, on seeing the advert on the supply of farm produce in the newspapers, became interested so he called the company and informed them that he could supply them with maize.
He said the suspect, who had been communicating with Iddrisu, asked him to come to Accra to sign an agreement. In that agreement he was told that after the supply of the produce, payment would be effected after 21 working days, to which he agreed.
Iddrisu then went back to Tamale and loaded 600 bags of maize valued at GH¢72,000 onto an articulator truck and brought it to the company’s offices at Lashibi where it was offloaded and he returned to Tamale to wait for the 21 days to elapse.
After the 21 days, Iddrisu, full of hope, returned to the company’s premises at Lashibi to collect his money but to his dismay the company had closed its offices and Kittoe and the General Manager, Samuel Gyimah, were nowhere to be found.
The victim then made a report to the police and a search was mounted for their arrest and while the police were pursuing the case, the other victim who is a farmer also came to the police to report that he and his elder brother saw the advert on the supply of the tractors so they came to the company’s offices at Lashibi where they were informed that the prize for one tractor was GH¢48,000 but they had to make a down payment of GH¢12,000 each and after the supply of the tractor the rest would be spread for a period of four years so they paid the deposit.
COP Agblor said the complainant was to comeback after a month to take delivery of the tractor and when he returned after a month the company had folded up.
He said the reports were made in April, 2012 and all efforts to trace the whereabouts of the two suspects proved futile until January 2, 2013 when intelligence gathered by the police indicated that Kittoe had been hiding in a hotel at the Sakumono Estates and has been living in the hotel for over six months now.
Upon interrogation, Kittoe admitted to the offence but claimed the money was given to his accomplice, Samuel Gyimah who had absconded.
Mr Agblor said it was believed that a number of traders and farmers from the north had fallen victims to the activities of the fraudsters

Amorous Pastor Arrested

– For attempting to poison the husband of a female church member
The Founder and Head Pastor of Zoe Power Ministries, Pastor Philip Azumah, who allegedly attempted to poison the husband of a woman he is flirting with has been arrested by the Adenta Police.
Pastor Azumah, 54, is alleged to have been in an amorous relationship with the married woman for the past six years.
In an attempt to get rid of the woman’s husband, so that he will have unimpeded access to her, Pastor Azumah is said to have given his lover a bottle containing a substance to lace her husband’s food.
According to the Adenta District Police Commander, DSP Stephen Ahiatafu, the complainant, whose name is being withheld for security reasons, accompanied by her husband, went to the police station on January 2, 2013 to report the incident.
The woman was said to have reported the case to the police and presented the bottle containing the substance believed to be poison to them.
She claimed that Pastor Azumah had given it to her to mix it with the food that her husband would eat to end his life.
He said the complainant told the police that she had been a member of the church for the past seven years and that some time in 2006 Pastor Azumah had proposed love to her but she had declined, with the explanation that she was a married woman with children.
But her explanation could not deter the pastor from continuing to put pressure on her.
Some time in 2006, the pastor invited her to accompany him to a prayer camp at Darkuman, a request she obliged.
According to the police, the woman said on the way to the prayer camp, she and the pastor decided to stop for some short rest at a guest house.
DSP Ahiatafu said the woman claimed that after taking a drink, she became drowsy, and when she came back to her senses, she found herself naked lying in bed with the pastor.
She claimed the pastor warned her not to divulge what had happened between them that day to anybody, otherwise she would die.
Based on the threat, the police said, the woman failed to divulge what had happened but continued to sleep with the pastor for six years from 2006 to 2012.
The district commander indicated that some time in September 2012, the pastor, after the usual sexual encounter with the woman, told her that he loved her so much that he wanted to do away with her husband, so that he and the woman could get married.
The pastor, consequently, gave her a black substance in a bottle and asked her to mix it with food for her husband.
DSP Ahiatafu said the woman claimed she never had the chance to carry out the act, as her husband suddenly started behaving abnormally.
For fear that the pastor had used some charm on him, just before the New Year she decided to confess her relationship with the pastor to her husband and even showed the bottle the pastor had given to her to him.
The husband then accompanied the woman to the police station where they lodged a complaint, leading to the pastor’s arrest.
Upon interrogation, Pastor Azumah admitted sleeping with the married woman several times and pleaded for forgiveness.
He is expected to be put before court soon after investigations.   

Court Restrained Young Patriots

The Accra Circuit Court yesterday restrained members of the Young Patriots of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from carrying out their intended demonstration scheduled for today, January 8, 2013.
 The court, presided over by Mrs Naa Adoley Azu, a High Court judge sitting as an additional Circuit Court judge, further ordered that the event be postponed to a date beyond January 9, 2013.
The decision of the court was to allow the deployed police personnel to complete their assigned functions related to the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama.
It was also to allow the police to perform their function of keeping the peace during demonstrations in the interest of public safety and security.
According to the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Freeman Tettey, the leadership of the group had been duly served with the notice.
The court’s notice was to Mr Hopeson Adoye, the President of the Yong Patriots, as well as two other executive members of the group, Mr Richard Nyamah and Mr John Kumah.
Mr Tettey explained that the group had written to the police to seek their assistance to embark on a demonstration soon after the inauguration of the President.
He indicated that the police held a series of meetings with the group and impressed on it to cancel its intended demonstration, as police personnel deployed for the inaugural ceremony would still be at post even after the event.
He said despite several interactions, the leaders of the group insisted that they would embark on the demonstration, with or without the support of the police.
The decision of the group compelled the police to go to court to obtain a restraining order.
Mr Tettey said should the group go against the ruling, the police would employ every lawful means to stop the members from demonstrating.

Xmas was Hitch-free ----- Police Administration

The just-ended Christmas festivities were without any major security hitches, the Ghana Police Service has said.
According to the Police Administration, the atmosphere throughout the country was peaceful and no serious crime was recorded during the season.
A few robbery cases were, however, reported, mainly in Accra and Kumasi, but the police said the situation was managed well to arrest the suspected criminals.
The Director-General of Police Operations, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr John Kudalor, told the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday that the national capital and all the regional capitals were peaceful.
The only challenge, he said, had been the heavy traffic which usually characterised Christmas celebrations.
He said  in all the cases, personnel from the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service were on hand to direct traffic to ensure sanity on the roads.
Mr Kudalor said the Police Administration rolled out a comprehensive and well-planned security arrangement for the Christmas season which came shortly after the general election of December 7.
He said the service stationed mobile patrol teams in communities nationwide in order to offer help to citizens or visitors in times of distress.
According to Mr Kudalor, to prevent robbers from attacking traders who had to travel to the national capital and the regional capitals to do some trading or shopping, police patrol vehicles were stationed at all vantage points at the various markets.
Additionally, all the major highways in the country, such as Accra to Kumasi, Aflao, Elubo, Paga, Koforidua, Hohoe and Takoradi, as well as Sunyani or Techiman to Tamale and Wa, were provided with 24-hour security patrols to ensure that members of the public got to their destinations safely.
Unlike in previous years when much attention was paid to strategising against the activities of criminals during the period, the service decided to strategise for the criminals, as well as provide the needed security for the citizenry to ensure that they celebrated the Yuletide peacefully.
As part of the security arrangements, the mobile patrol teams which were dispatched were visible throughout the country and that might have sent strong signals to the criminals that the intelligence searchlight was on them, tracking and monitoring all their nefarious activities.
Mr Kudalor warned criminals to, in their own interest and in the interest of peace and security in the country, abandon their plans, as the police knew their identities, movements and motives.
“They are constantly being monitored and will be crushed if they make any attempt to disrupt the peace,” he said.
“We should remember that we are all equal before the law and the law is no respecter of persons. We, as security officers, are charged by law to deal with crime and criminals,” he added.
Mr Kudalor said road crashes during festivities were of grave concern to the Police Service, as a result of which policemen were also dispatched on the highways, especially those that were accident prone, to check speeding, a major cause of the crashes on the roads.
He said the Police Administration had taken delivery of over 1,000 vehicles to enable the service to provide adequate and prompt security for Ghanaians.
He urged members of the public to report any suspicious activities within their communities by dialing the toll-free lines.

Some Major Roads Blocked to Traffic

Some major roads in Accra will be closed to traffic on Monday because of the swearing in of President John Dramani Mahama at the Independence Square in Accra on January 7, 2013.
They are the 28th February Road from the Headquarters of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to the Castle Junction; the Osu Cemetery Traffic Light-Lokko Street road, from the Osu Cemetery (Starlets 95 Road) to the Ministries Traffic Light and the Castle Road from the AU Circle to the Osu Cemetery Traffic Light.
A statement issued by the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) said because of the closure, the road from the AU Circle towards the Castle Road through the Osu Cemetery Traffic Light would be diverted onto the 2nd and 3rd Avenue roads to take a detour through the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) and link up with the Abdul Nasser Road near the British High Commission.
It said traffic emanating from the 28th February Road towards the Independence Square would be diverted onto the Liberia Road at the Headquarters of the Customs Division of the GRA towards the National Theatre Traffic Light Intersection.
The statement advised motorists from Osu to use the Sir Quist/Kinbu Road.
Similarly, traffic flowing from the Lokko Street towards the Castle Road would be diverted onto the Starlets 95 Road.
According to the Second-in-Command at the Nima MTTU, Chief Superintendent S. K. Tetteh, in a bid to minimise inconvenience to invited guests and members of the public attending the event, the following areas had been designated as car parks for various holders of invitation cards: the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) for yellow sticker holders who are mainly members of the Diplomatic Corps and foreign guests; the Forecourt of the State House for green sticker holders who are Members of Parliament (MPs), former ministers of state and former deputy ministers, while the Access Bank, formerly Intercontinental Bank, is strictly for red sticker or red invitation card holders only.
The Accra Sports Stadium car park is strictly for blue and green invitation card holders, while the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park is for black sticker holders.
The Independence Square car parks are for purple sticker holders only who are the VVIPs.
According to the statement, buses would be provided to shuttle all invited dignitaries from their designated car parks to the venue.
 No vehicle, apart from vehicles with purple stickers, will be allowed within the enclave of the Independence Square.
 No motorbike will be permitted into the enclave of the square.
The statement said police officers would be assigned to direct and assist motorists to the appropriate car parks and diverted roads, respectively.
It, therefore, advised motorists to avoid parking their vehicles within the perimeter of the Independence Arch and on the verges of the roads.