Day: January 20, 2024

A 39-year-old driver, who stole secured file transfer protocol (SFTP) network cables valued at GH?50,000.00 belonging to INNOVA DDB Ghana has been sentenced by an Accra Circuit Court.

The court sentenced Nurudeen Abddulai to 15 years imprisonment.

He was charged with unlawful entry and stealing, a charge he initially pleaded not guilty to.

After a long trial, the Court presided over Mr Jojo Amoah Hagan found him guilty and sentenced him accordingly.

The facts as presented by Police Chief Inspector Issaka Habbib were that the complainant Mr Emmanuel Sentre who resided at Ofankor was an IT technician working with the INNOVA DDB advertising firm located at Kanda while the convict resided at Kanda, Accra, with no fixed place of abode.

The prosecution said on November 16, 2022, at about 1900 hours, the convict sneaked into the premises of the aforementioned firm and entered the server room of a newly built two-storey office space.

It said the convict used a knife to cut and caused damage to the SFTP network
cable extensions that had been used to wire the entire office space and kept the same in the sack.

The prosecution said the convict was spotted by a witness in the case.

It said the witness raised an alarm, and the convict took to his heels, but was given a hot chase and subsequently arrested and brought to the Nima Police Station.

The prosecution said a formal complaint was lodged and the sack containing the irregular pieces of SFTP network cables with a metal handle was retrieved from the scene and kept for evidential purposes.

Source: Ghana News Agency

?An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a driver to eight years imprisonment in hard labour for attempting to kidnap a father and daughter for ransom.

Godfred Ayittey denied conspiring with Wang Liang in preparation to kidnap the two for ransom, but after trial, he was found culpable.

Wang is currently at large.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye earlier told the Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah that on August 3, 2022, one Richard Asomaning, a witness in the case reported to Tema Police that Ayittey, now convict, recruited him on phone to engage in kidnapping and same asked that Asomaning (witness) recruited a competent driver for them to undertake such an operation for a ransom.

DSP Nyamekye said the witness feigned interest in the act and forwarded copies of his driver’s license and Ghana card as well as that of one Peter Ofoe Agbovie, a friend to the first witness, who he had just recruited for the convict.?

The witnesses then requested a meeting with the convict to kn
ow, who their victim or victims were, he told the Court.?

The prosecution said the convict mentioned the victims to the witnesses as Mr Joseph K. Horgle, the owner of J. K. Horgle Transport and Company Limited at Kpone and his daughter Elinam, who is also the Deputy Managing Director of the same company.?

Ayittey never met the witnesses in-person, he only communicated with them on phone.?

DSP Nyamekye said Tema Police sought the assistance of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) to help investigate the case, thus, witnesses were interviewed at the NIB and it emerged that, the witnesses had opened communication with the convict and a WhatsApp group platform was created by the convict for the operation.?

The Court heard that Ayittey, the convict provided fifty Ghana cedis (GHC50.00) to Asomaning to commence surveillance on either of the victims and initial photographs of the company’s premises were taken and sent to the convict.?

Agbovie, DSP Nyamekye said was asked by the convict to rent a vehicle, whilst h
e (convict) procured guns for the operation.?

The prosecution said the convict was tracked and arrested on August 09, 2022, and same admitted to the offence and indicated that one Wang, a Chinese he worked with at DADA Foods engineered the kidnapping.?

Investigations revealed that the convict had worked at the intended victim’s Company from 2017 to 2018 as a driver and knew the former boss had the financial muscle to pay any ransom using Crypto currency to Wang LIANG’s account in China to avoid detection.

He said Asomaning had earlier posted his particulars, including his phone number on jiji online seeking job as a driver.?

The accused person picked the first witness’ phone number from the site and contacted him for the job as a driver and when he agreed, he changed the topic from employment to kidnapping.

DSP Nyamekye said Ayittey also asked Asomaning to use same conduit to recruit another person.?

After investigation, Ayittey was charged with the offence.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr John E. Otoo, the Eastern Regional Deputy Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service, says the region recorded lower COVID-19 cases last year than in 2022.

He noted that in 2022, a total of 950 positive cases of coronavirus were recorded but only 97 cases were recorded in 2023.

Dr Otoo told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on the state of COVID-19 in the region that a total of 7,759 cases have been logged in the region since the virus outbreak in the country in 2020.

He explained that the highest cases of covid-19 were logged in 2021 with 4,046, followed by 2020 with 2,664, 2022 with 950 then 2023 with 97 positive cases.

He revealed that as of January 18, 2024, 155 people had lost their lives to COVID-19, representing a two per cent fatality rate.

Dr Otoo noted that the remaining 98 per cent of the positive cases logged in the region were successfully treated and discharged.

Despite the drop in the positive cases recorded in the region last year, he advised citizens to uphold the COV
ID-19 safety protocol and visit the hospital whenever they felt sick to be attended to.

‘The virus is here to stay. We cannot pretend it is not there. The cough etiquette must be observed all the time and persons who fall sick must immediately visit the hospital for clinicians to take care of them,’ he advised

‘We are also encouraging all to take the vaccine. By so doing, we will build hard immunity, and all would be protected.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 and was detected in Ghana on March 12, 2020, in two persons.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has inaugurated a Fire Academy and Training School at Wungu in the North East Region for training personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).

The new facility, constructed by the government on a land donated by the community, has dormitories, dining hall, a training square, and a three-storey building to serve as an administration block and classrooms.

? ? ?Dr Bawumia, speaking at the inauguration of the facility on Friday, said it was a modern facility that met international standards adding it was to augment the only existing fire training school located at Jamestown, Accra.

He said it was the responsibility of government to equip the GNFS with necessary equipment and tools to enable them manage fire emergencies hence the initiative to increase the number of training schools.?

? ? ?He said two more Fire Academy and Training Schools would be inaugurated by the middle of the year reiterating government’s commitment to serving the citizenry across board.

? ? ?H
e noted that an estimated three per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was lost to bushfire-related incidents adding ‘We cannot sit unconcerned when we lose a substantial amount to bushfires.’

? ? ?Dr Bawumia said the facility would promote research and development in the field of firefighting and called for collaboration among experts in the industry to improve firefighting in the country.

? ? ?The ceremony was attended by Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mr Yidana Zakaria, North East Regional Minister as well as traditional leaders.?

? ? ?Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO), Mr Julius Aalebkure Kuunuor, said the construction of the facility was indicative of government’s commitment to enhance the preparedness of fire fighters to handle dynamic challenges of the profession.

? ? ?He said the GNFS had received massive support from the Ministry of Interior and some individuals, which ensured quality service delivery.

? ? ?He said the facility wou
ld serve as a beacon of knowledge that would foster a culture of excellence as well as professionalism among personnel.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through a partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Education has donated $500,000 worth of school supplies to children in communities affected by the Akosombo Dam spillage.

Through the Akosombo Safe Activity, USAID and UNICEF provided tents to serve as temporary school structures, and supplied essentials such as recreational kits, stationery and material for teaching and learning.?

Ms Virginia Palmer, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, travelled to Mepe on Thursday to meet flood survivors, including teachers, parents, and students to express solidary.

She also met government officials and the Member of Parliament for the area, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to discuss how to support the affected communities.

The Ambassador was confident that support provided would help restore teaching and learning in communities affected by the floods.

Fiachra McAsey, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Ghana, sa
id the partnership was part of the organisations mandate to ensure that ‘every child learns, even in the face of humanitarian emergencies.’

‘Through this support, we are able to work together to ensure learning continues for children affected by the Akosombo Dam spillage and other emergency conditions in Ghana,’ he stated.

The support follows USAIDs earlier provision of $100,000 in assistance to flood victims in the form of cash transfers and temporary shelters, which were set up by the World Food Programme.??

The United States is Ghana’s largest development partner.

In 2023, combined bilateral support reached over $250 million, including funding from USAID,?dedicated to promoting education, health, economic growth and agriculture, governance, and security.

USAID, as the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty, advances an integrated approach to development.

It promotes accountability, sustainable systems, and inclusive development.

UNICEF, on the other hand, works in over
190 countries and territories to build a better world for children worldwide.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The branch of the Ghana Ewe Association has been inaugurated at Agona Swedru with a call on members to invest heavily in their children’s education.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Ms Mary Agbolo, Executive Member of the Association said the only profitable investment members could make was to spend their monies to support their children to acquire vocational and technical skills and formal education.

She said education was key to human development and it was incumbent on members to pump their resources to help the children become responsible adults.

She said the time had come for the members, especially women to channel their resources into the education of their wards rather than buying expensive funeral cloths.

Ms Agbolo appealed to the members in and around to stop spending lavishly on unnecessary things to the detriment of their children’s education.

She reiterated calls on Ewes in the area not to delay joining the Association, adding that the main objective was to bring all Ewes together as on
e people to help promote their wellbeing.

Mr Jerry Gbordzeotor , Chairman of the Association said the formation of the association would bring Ewes in Agona West, Agona East, Gomoa Central and Gomoa East under one umbrella to become a strong force to better their lives.

He said the members have instituted a foundation that would help care for the members and their families in time of difficulties and use the foundation to support their children’s education.

Mr Gbordzeotor said as the association grew bigger, it had plans to procure musical instrument to serve as a source of income and therefore tasked members to pay their monthly contributions to raise enough funds to help support developmental programs which were beneficial to each one of the associations.

The chairman assured that the executives would do everything possible to ensure that the dreams and vision of the association were achieved to enhance the wellbeing of the members.

Source: Ghana News Agency