The killing fields of Aflao…20 gunned down
Libel laws are tools for persecution of journalists - Justice Adjei
Police, robbers in a shoot-out
War against robbery in Kumasi…Military go after unlicensed vehicles
Goasohene apologises to Asanteman
Quashigah warns NDC impostors
Achimota School land given to Tsatsu, others
Serious Fraud Office snubbed
The killing fields of Aflao…20 gunned down
The Ghanaian Chronicle in a front page banner headline story, reports that the eastern border town of Aflao in the Volta Region, has been turned into a killing field by armed police and personnel of the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), who have gunned down more than 20 people.
The paper says the circumstances of the deaths have angered the people so much so that last year, they mobilised to attack the Aflao Police Station.
It says last year, it took the timely intervention of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Peter Nanfuri, and the then CEPS Commissioner, Mr Charles Asembri, to avert a possible clash between the security agencies and the irate residents.
According to the Chronicle, an ironic twist to the macabre scenario is the case of a policeman who could not bear the pressure from his superior officers to accept blame for one of the killings and be transferred. He committed suicide instead.
Libel laws are tools for persecution of journalists - Justice Adjei
In another front page story, the Chronicle reports the Chairman of the Central Regional Tribunal, Justice Nana Barfour Adjei, as noting that libel laws in Ghana have been used to persecute journalists. The libel laws, which Nana Adjei is said to have described as having lost their essence, "have been used to subject some members of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) to trials resulting in the imposition of unreasonable fines and prison sentences" Nana Adjei was speaking as a chairman of a symposium as part of activities to mark the golden jubilee of the Association, at Cape Coast in the Central Region. The theme of the symposium was "The GJA, press freedom and national stability". According to Nana Adjei, the persecutions have the ultimate aim of silencing the victims by making them financially disabled to practise their profession. The Chronicle says the Tribunal Chairman pointed out that the aim has not been achieved because the GJA has emerged united and stronger to fight the odds against its members.
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Police, robbers in a shoot-out
The Daily Graphic reports that personnel of the Police Striking Force Unit last Monday, engaged some armed robbers in a shoot-out in a bush near the Accra-Tema Motorway.
The police are said to have stormed the area to retrieve electrical appliances suspected to have been stolen from residents in the East Legon area In a front page story the Graphic says the robbers, who had hidden the items in the bush, apparently to get a vehicle to pick them, opened fire when they saw the police personnel closing in on them.
The paper says, however, that when the police returned the fire, the robbers managed to escape leaving the items behind The Graphic quotes Police Chief Inspector Jambeidu of the Striking Force Unit as saying that at about 830 a.m. on Monday, personnel of the unit on patrol duties had a call from the Police Information Room that some armed robbers were dumping some items in a bush along the ‘Spintex’ road near the Tema Motorway.
He said the police, through the help of the informant managed to locate the area and just as they were proceeding to the spot, they saw men around the place. On seeing the police the three started shooting indiscriminately. Chief Inspector Jambeidu said realising that the men were armed, the police also opened fire on them and the robbers took to their heels, leaving behind their booty. He said all attempts to apprehend them proved futile.
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War against robbery in Kumasi…Military go after unlicensed vehicles
Goasohene apologises to Asanteman
The Ghanaian Times reports in a front page story that the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC), yesterday began an operation to impound unlicensed imported vehicles in the Kumasi metropolis, as part of efforts to fight armed robbery.
The operation, by a combined team of 90 security personnel from the Army, Police and Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CES), is also said to aim at reducing or eradicating cross-border smuggling of vehicles The paper says 225 vehicles without the necessary documents, were seized during the operation.
It says the owners of the garages or dealers were given up to the end of today to provide the necessary documents or the vehicles would be impounded. The Times quotes a source as saying a core team of the 90-member task force with assistance from CEPS, would ascertain the genuineness of the documents.
Goasohene apologises to Asanteman
In another front page story, the Times reports that the Goasohene, ‘Krotwiamansa’ Adjei Ampofo, on Monday, apologised to the Asanteman Council for making a statement, which the Council felt, was insulting, unacceptable and offensive to the sensibilities of Asanteman.
The apology, the paper says, was rendered at the resumed hearing of the dispute between the Goasohene and Nana Yaa Akyaa, ‘Obaapanin’ of the Goaso’Aduana’ Royal Family.
The Times says that at the last sitting of the Council, Krotwiamansa Ampofo said "If I am found guilty, the Otumfuo Asantehene can do whatever he liked to me". He was consequently "arrested" by the Council and ordered to slaughter six sheep as a fine.
The paper recalls that last April 26, Nana Akyaa, also known as Yaa Mabre, invoked the great oath of Asanteman to prevent Krotwiamansa Ampofo swearing the oath of allegiance to the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, over some disputes. Nana Akyaa, the paper says therefore, invoked the oath to prevent the Goasohene from swearing. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, is reported to have accepted the apology and said it was unfortunate that there had been a deviation from the issue, thus prolonging the deliberations.
He said that his personal investigations into the matter revealed that the case had been prolonged unnecessarily. The Times says the Asantehene reminded the Council of his impartiality in dealing with the matter and asked the members to do same so that the substantive case of either to swear or not to swear to the Otumfuo would not be delayed unduly.
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Quashigah warns NDC impostors
In a front page splash, the Free Press says the NPP has directed its field workers to intensify their activities among the Ewe and Zongo communities.
This is to counteract the campaign of misinformation conducted by NDC impostors aimed at making the NPP unpopular among these two sections of the Ghanaian society. In pursuit of this strategy, the NPP field workers have been asked to cause the arrest of impostors in NNP ‘T’-shirts and other party paraphernalia, who disguise themselves as party agents and twist policies in order to alienate these communities from the party.
The Free Press says the move was disclosed by Major Courage Quashigah (rtd), national organiser of the NPP, when he addressed a day’s seminar for polling station agents, co-ordinators and local chairman, at Akyem Swedru in the Eastern Region.
Major Quashigah is said to have told the party activists that intelligence reports have shown that during the electioneering campaign in 1996, some ‘foot-soldiers’ of a political party put on NPP ‘T’-shirts and went round to pass some derogatory remarks and issued threats against those who oppose the party. These acts, he said, alienated many people from the party.
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Achimota School land given to Tsatsu, others
The Dispatch says that a time when various educational institution are hard pressed for finances and are finding ways and means of raising money, one school’s attempt is in danger of losing most of the funds raised.
The paper says Achimota School in Accra, is the alma mater of many prominent Ghanaians, including the first couple, President Jerry Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu. According to the Dispatch, the irony of the situation is that these acts of denying the school of most of the needed funds are allegedly being orchestrated by a government headed by ‘Old Boy’ Jerry Rawlings.
The paper says all the lands behind Achimota School, that is the Achimota Forest and the space opposite the ‘Dimples Inn’, where many dealers have set up garages and are selling cars, belong to the school. It says the school, in its desire to raise funds to re-equip its computer system, library and improve infrastructure, sold off some of the plots for prices ranging between 60 million cedis and 80 million cedis.
The Dispatch says just as some of the buyers started to develop their plots, they were warned to stop work because those plots belonged to certain individuals.
The school’s Board of Directors. who authorised the sale, were said to have been accordingly informed and when land searches were conducted, they were shocked at what they found out. The government had illegally leased those plots to several high-ranking state officials, including Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC). The Board is said to be understandably very angry and have accordingly informed the government to withdraw the lease given to those state officials or ask them to pay to the school, the market values of the plots.
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Serious Fraud Office snubbed
The paper says the attempt by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to get to the bottom of deals allegedly made in the sale of the Ghana Oil Company (GOIL), is being seriously hampered by the refusal of a United States firm to face the investigators.
The Weekly Insight says Rotchild, the New York firm, which was given the contract for the evaluation of bids, has said it has no business with the SFO and none of the employees will be put before the interrogators.
The paper quotes a source close to the fir as saying that "as far as we are concerned, we got a good contract from the Divestiture Implementation Committee, we did our part and that is the end of the story". According to the Weekly Insight, the SFO investigations into the sale of GOIL was ordered by President Jerry Rawlings following allegations that it was not sufficiently transparent.
The paper says it is alleged that Rotchild got the lucrative contract on account of the fact that Mr Sam Jonah, Chief Executive of the Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) Limited, has interest in Sterlin Financial Service, Rotchild’s local counterparts .The Weekly Insight says Rotchild’s refusal to testify will make it impossible for the SFO to establish how bids for the sale of GOIL were allegedly tampered with.
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