Teikpitikope gets mechanised water facility

Date: Sep 19 , 2019  .BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover

Residents of Teikpitikope, a community in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region are beneficiaries of a solar-powered mechanised filtration water facility.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) in partnership with Project Maji Foundation, the water solution partners of the Authority,provided the facility at a cost of GH¢ 50,000.00

Mr. Ken Arthur, (2nd right) being assisted by Ms Madam Sarah Dugbakie Pobee and Nene Lomo IV, (left) Divisional Chief of the Lomobiawe Clan of Ada to inaugurate the facility.

At a ceremony to hand over the facility to the community, the Director in charge of Kpong Retrofit Project of VRA, Mr Ken Arthur, said the objective of providing the facility was to discourage people from using untreated water as their main source of drinking water.

Bilharzia

Mr Arthur said statistics from VRA's Environmental and Research Unit indicated that prevalence rate of Bilharzia in the community was about 65 per cent stressing that the worrying picture did not only call for urgent attention but also concerted efforts by everyone in the community to improve the situation.

 He admonished the people of Teikpitikope to desist from using untreated water for drinking as well as defecating along the river, in order to halt the spread of bilharzia and subsequently eradicating it.

He expressed appreciation to the Ada East District Assembly and the Ghana Health Service for the collaboration and urged all partners to sustain the education, screening and mass drug administration of the Bilharzia disease in addition to the provision of potable water and sanitation facilities.

The manager in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility at VRA, Mr Samuel Fletcher, said the initial idea was to provide borehole facilities for the community however after the boreholes were drilled, it was detected that the water had high iron content hence the change to a solar powered, sand filtration system using the river as the main source of supply.

More help

Nene Ofoe Cherbie, a representative of the Chief of Pediatorkope, Nene Tsatsu Pediator commended VRA for the support and appealed to management to extend its intervention to the over 300 communities along the river which were facing similar difficulties with regard to access to drinking water.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ada East, Ms Sarah Dugbakie Pobee, advised the community to take good care of the new facility handed over to them and ensure that it was well maintained.

Writer's email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh

Via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/teikpitikope-gets-mechanised-water-facility.html

3 Suspected murders rock Ashaiman

Date: Sep 16 , 2019  .BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover

Three suspected murders, two of them involving watchmen, rocked the Ashaiman municipality Sunday [September 15] morning as the town woke up to the horrific events.

The three bodies, discovered within about 200-metre span of one another, had the heads of the deceased covered with their respective clothes in similar fashion.

The lifeless bodies of the three persons — identified as Ibrahim Bagada Sumaila, 70, a watchman; Kobina King, 70, also a watchman; and Josuah Afuugu, 35 — were picked up at separate locations in the municipality in the morning.

Information available to the Daily Graphic indicated that about 6 a.m. on Sunday,  Abdul Razak Ibrahim, an agent of Apsonic Motors in Ashaiman, lodged a complaint with the Ashaiman District Police Command that around 5:45 a.m., he went to his shop and found his watchman, Ibrahim Bagada Sumaila, murdered with the deceased’s head covered with his clothing.

Body parts

 On reaching the scene, police discovered the lifeless body of the deceased, with blood oozing from his eyes, nostrils, ears and mouth.

The police also saw the deceased's phone and torchlight laying beside the body while the shop he guarded was intact.

The police said while they were preparing to convey the body to the Police Hospital in Accra, they received another information that another watchman at Kasapreko warehouse, opposite Ashaiman Senior High School, just about 50 metres from the first suspected murder scene, had also been murdered.

 The police visited the new scene and saw the second watchman, Kobina King, also suspected to have been murdered and his face covered with his clothes.

Initial examination at the scene revealed that some body parts in the head area had been removed.

In this incident too, no break-in was detected at the Kasapreko warehouse.

Third person

Just when the police were about to convey the two bodies to the mortuary, another information got to the team that another person had been found suspected to have been murdered at Tulaku, near the Ashaiman roundabout.

At the third scene, the police saw the body of Josuah Afuugu, also suspected to have been murdered and his clothes used to cover his head.

Afuugu, the police said, was not a watchman, but slept in front of Sofaamy glass shop.

Police detected that one of his eyes had been removed, but no shop was tempered with.

The Ashaiman Police District Crime Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) George Antwi Tanoh, confirmed the incident and said all the three bodies had been conveyed to the Police Hospital for preservation and autopsy.

Meanwhile the police have initiated investigations into the cases

Via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/3-suspected-murders-rock-ashaiman.html

Two arrested for gang raping three women

Date: Sep 14 , 2019  .BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover

The Tema Regional Police Command has arrested two young men believed to have taken part in an alleged gang rape and robbery of at least three women on different occasions in the Ada East District in the Greater Accra Region.

The alleged suspects were busted by the police on September 6, 2019.

Their modus operandi included luring the unsuspecting victims to their base at Ada Foah, physically attacking and raping them before bolting with their personal belongings such as mobile phones and money.

The two, Winfred Mohammed Dakeh, 24, unemployed, and Abraham Tetiafor, 19, an undertaker, are currently in police cells at the Ada Divisional Police Station, where the case has been transferred to, pending further investigation.

Speaking to journalists in Tema last Tuesday, the Tema Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCOP), Mr Edward Johnson Oyirifi-Akrofi, said on August 28, 2019, suspect Dakeh managed to lure one of the victims named Angel Nikuroki (aged 21) to a location near the abandoned Colonial Prison Quarters at Ada Foah. He said on arrival, Dakeh and his accomplice, Tetiafor, gang raped her and took her purse containing an amount of GH₵400 and an Infinix mobile phone.

 Second victim

Mr Oyirifi-Akrofi said on another occasion, August 30, 2019, the duo lured another lady, a Nigerian, Dora Anayuye, to the same abandoned structure at Ada Foah. The second victim, he said, got there around 11:30 p.m. and was met by the same Dakeh and his accomplice who gang raped her in the same old building and robbed her of her Huawei mobile phone, a purse containing GH₵100 and travelling bag containing dresses.

The lady later reported the attack on her to the police at the Ada Foah Police Station.

According to the Tema Regional Police Commander, the third incident involving the two suspects was recorded on September 5, 2019 when they (suspects) managed to lure another Nigerian, Mercy Godwin, aged 25, from Ashaiman to Ada Foah.

He said the victim arrived at Ada Foah at about 11:20 p.m. from Ashaiman. She was met by the suspects who came to pick her up to an unknown location. He said the suspects pulled a knife and scissors on the victim, took turns to have sex with her on the ground, seized her mobile phone and bolted.

Arrest

The Tema Regional Police Commander said based on a series of reports lodged by the victims at the Ada Foah Police Station, the police intensified their investigations.

They followed vital leads and managed to arrest Dakeh on September 6, 2019. He later led the police to Kajanya, near Totimekope, where his accomplice was also arrested.

He said as part of the investigations, the Ada Divisional Police Command would embark on an identification parade to give an opportunity to victims of rape, robberies and other violent crimes to identify their assailants for fast-track investigations and prosecution.

He urged crime victims to visit the police station at Ada Foah to assist in the identification.

Via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/two-arrested-for-gang-raping-three-women.html

One arrested over murder of family at Ningo Prampram

Date: Sep 15 , 2019  .BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover

The police in Ningo-Prampram have arrested one Ali Kofi Sowuno in connection with a tragic incident in which a family of three were burnt beyond recognition at Zutsukpo, a village near Tsopoli in the Ningo-Prampram District last Thursday night.

The family, a man, his wife and their five-year-old son were allegedly shot by some unknown assailants and were burnt beyond recognition.

Joshua Koranteng Oman, 46, his wife and their son, who is less than five years old, were allegedly shot by some unknown assailants who also burnt them beyond recognition together with the vehicle, a pickup truck, in which they were travelling.

Oman, a farmer; his wife and their son were said to be on their way to fetch water for domestic chores when they were allegedly shot by the unknown persons.

Suspect

The suspect, a nephew of the deceased, was picked up for interrogation after it was alleged that he had issued a threat to his uncle who was a farmer, threatening that he would make him stop farming in the village.

 The Daily Graphic gathered that as a result of the threat, the mother of the deceased farmer lodged a complaint with the police two Sundays ago.

Following the death last Thursday evening, some accusing fingers have been pointed at the suspect amid threats of a reprisal attack on him.

The police said as a precautionary measure, the suspect was picked up for interrogation, but he has since denied involvement in the death of the farmer and his family.

Relations

Relatives of the deceased farmer, Messrs John Narh and Kweku Oman, in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, expressed shock at the incident and appealed to the police to intensify their investigations into the matter.

Mr Oman said he was at Ashaiman, near Tema when he received a call from the village that his brother had been killed.

He said he dashed to the village only to see the charred bodies of his relatives.

Spent pellets

The Prampram Divisional Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr Godact Dodzi Hlordzi, said investigations were underway to unravel the mystery sorrounding the incident.

He said preliminary investigations at the crime scene revealed three spent pellets likely to have been fired from an automatic weapon.

He said the people in the vehicle were burnt beyond recognition after they were murdered.

Mr Hlordzi added that the man was a hardworking cattle farmer who was well known in the community, adding that the crime scene management and homicide units had been invited to assist in the investigations.

Via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/one-arrested-over-murder-of-family-at-ningo-prampram.html

Sam George wins Ningo-Prampram NDC Parliamentary ticket by 7 votes difference

Date: Aug 24 , 2019  .BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover

The incumbent Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Mr Sam Nartey George has retained the ticket to represent the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 general elections.

He defeated his contender, Mr Micheal Kwetey Tetteh by seven votes in a fierce contest held on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at the St. Joseph's Anglican Primary School Park.

Certified results declared by Mr Charles Botchey Jnr, the Electoral Commission official gave Mr Samuel Nartey George 407 votes as against 400 votes obtained by Mr Micheal Kwetey Tetteh. Two ballots were rejected.

A total of 809 delegates from 89 out of the 93 branches took part in the elections.

Security

Prampram Constituency bears the tag of being a political hottest spot and to preempt any electoral violence, the District Security Committee headed by the DCE, Mr Jonathan Doku deployed close to 100 police personnel drawn from the Police Headquarters, Tema Police Command and the Prampram Police Division to oversee the security arrangements on the ground.

As part of its strategy to ensure the safety and security of the elections, the DISEC also beefed up security with Military deployment from 5BN Burma Camp and 1BN Michel Camp who were deployed at the outskirts of the town.

The Prampram Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Mr Goadact Dodzi Hlordzi described the heavy police presence as a normal in view of the threat levels ahead of the election and stresses that ot was not aimed at intimidating voters.

Voting was however generally calm deviod of any incident. Two civilians who arrived at the polling center attired military gear were quickly whisked away by the police personnel.

Mr George in an interview said with the polls over, he was committed to bringing everyone on board to work for victory for the NDC in the 2020 polls.

He said his target is to increase the margin of victory for the NDC and will do al in his power to bring everyone on board to persue that agenda.

Mr Sam George entered parliament in 2017 having dethroned long time MP and party stalwat, Mr. ET Mensah who has been MP since 1996 with a margin of more than 2,000 votes.

End
Writer's email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh

Via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/sam-george-wins-ningo-prampram-ndc-parliamentary-ticket-by-7-votes-difference.html

Security beefed up at Ningo-Prampram for NDC primaries

Date: Aug 24 , 2019  .BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover

Security has been beefed up ahead of today's NDC Parliamentary Primaries in the Ningo-Prampram Constituency.

The District Chief Executive and Chairman of District Security Committee (DISEC), Mr Jonathan Doku told the Graphic Online that there will be a high presence of security personnel at the Anglican polling station where voting and collation will take place as well as all other relevant locations on the outskirts of the town.

He said police personnel from the National Headquarters, Tema Region, Ningo-Prampram Division and the District have been deployed to police the elections.

Mr Doku said DISEC as part of its strategy to ensure the safety and security of the elections has beefed up security with Military deployment from 5BN Burma Camp and 1BN Michel Camp who will be deployed on the three main roads leading to the district.

Two persons are contesting the primaries in the Ningo Prampram Constituency. They are Sam Nartey George, the incumbent and Mr Micheal K. Tetteh, the Constituency Chairman who resigned to take part in the race.

According to the constituency Secretary, Mr Oko Mensah, a total of 829 delegates from 89 out of the 93 branches are expected to take part in the elections.

Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh

Via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/security-beefed-up-at-ningo-prampram-for-ndc-primaries.html

GIS engages vessel owners, agents

Date: Aug 19 , 2019  .BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover

The Tema Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service has engaged vessel owners and agents at the Tema Port on immigration handling and procedures.

Chief Superintendent Martin Dzordzie (middle) speaking at the meeting

The objective of the meeting was to bridge the information gap between the GIS and the vessel owners and ship agents, who they consider as key stakeholders in their operations.

Personnel of the GIS, the ship owners and agents assessed challenges encountered by shippers regarding the law on immigration, as well as residence and employment of foreign nationals in Ghana.

Immigration Act

The Tema Deputy Regional Commander of the GIS, Chief Superintendent of Immigration Martin Dzordzie, reminded the participants that per Section One of the Immigration Act, 2000 (ACT 573), “a person in charge of a sea-going vessel, aircraft or vehicle arriving at any port or place in Ghana shall not permit a passenger who embarked outside Ghana to disembark until disembarkation has been authorised by the immigration officer”.

 He emphasised that appearance before an immigration officer on entering Ghana was very important and urged the agents to ensure that any passenger or crew member embarking a vessel appeared before an immigration officer and completed the prescribed form for his or her passport to be endorsed.

Chief Superintendent Dzordzie further indicated that agents must also ensure that members of crew of a vessel which was in Ghana to work applied for and were given the necessary work permit before they commenced work, stressing that a breach of that would result in the application of appropriate sanctions by the Immigration Service.

Stowaways

The deputy regional commander reiterated the dangers associated with stowaway and cautioned vessel owners and agents to conduct due diligence to avoid incidents of stowaways conniving with crew members to board a vessel with the aim of travelling to other countries, stressing that such acts had international implications for Ghana.

According to him, in a situation where a master of a vessel abets or permits any person to disembark from the vessel or leave the confines of the port without authorisation, that person commits an offence and is liable to pay the a penalty of $5,000, stressing that failure to pay the penalty within 14 days is liable on summary conviction to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.

“The burden is on you to bring this provision of the law to the attention of your partners outside to avoid falling foul of the law,” he said.

Compliance

Mr Alexander Odoom, the President of the Tema Berthing Meetings Association, whose main activities at the port are to plan the vessels coming into the port and sail them out of the port after the cargoes are discharged, commended the Tema Regional Command of the GIS for organising the meeting.

He said ship agents faced challenges, including unnecessary delays and bureaucratic bottlenecks of immigration handling procedures and processes, and urged the GIS to enhance its processes to ensure that vessel turnaround time in the port improved tremendously.

A Maritime Analyst and Intelligence Officer at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Sheik Labaran Salifu Barry, commended the GIS for the collaboration with the stakeholders, emphasising that such collaboration had enhanced port security.

He disclosed that stowaway cases in the country had for the past two years reduced drastically, stressing that persons detected to have stowed away on vessels originating from other countries were disembarked at the Tema Port.

Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh

Via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/gis-engages-vessel-owners-agents.html