The 51-year-old man was arrested at about 1:30 pm by police on his way to Kumasi to take proceeds of the ammunition he had supplied.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, ASP Juliana Obeng, in briefing the media on the development, said, 40-year-old Abubakari Mahama, who was arrested last Saturday during interrogation “mentioned suspect Amadu Yakubu as the source of the weapon and ammunition.”

She said Amadu Yakubu had admitted to ownership of the weapon and ammunition in his caution statement, and had said that “he got the weapon and ammunition during the Ivory Coast civil unrest and brought same to Ghana from Abidjan for sale.”

The Ashanti Regional Highway Patrol Unit on their usual patrol on the Kumasi-Obuasi highway intercepted a private Toyota Corolla Saloon Car with registration number AS 1108-17.

A search conducted in the vehicle revealed a “white fertilizer sack containing an AK 47 Assault Rifle, 56 rounds of ammunition plus 2 empty magazines.”

The driver, Ibrahim Owusu Sekyere, and one other occupant, Abubakari Mahama, were both arrested immediately.

The suspect, Abubakari Mahama, according to the Police, offered “a bribe of GH¢3,500 to the police in order to be left off the hook but the Police declined.”

“Both suspects, Abubakari Mahama and Amadu Yakubu, are in custody, assisting in investigations, and would be put before the court for prosecution after investigations are done.”

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ivorian arrested by Ashanti police with AK 47 rifle appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The three, whose names have been withheld, shot several times at seven men, including officials of the Chief of the area, Nana Yaw Kumedi II, and three surveyors who had been sent by the Chief to the Twidan Royal family land situated at Essien.

Three of the victims, Addo, Tetteh and Kwasi Kakraba, sustained various degrees of bullet injury, and have been admitted at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital for treatment.

A police source explained that, on Friday morning,  the seven men were returning from the royal land after an official assignment there ordered by the Chief.

He said on their way back, twenty men on motorbikes, believed to be land guards, armed with AK 47 assault rifles and pump action guns, attacked them and fired at them indiscriminately.

When police arrived at the scene, the assailants had escaped, but three of them were later arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack.

The police collected from the scene nineteen empty shells of AK 47 assault rifles, and eight shells off BB cartridges which will be used in their investigations.

Calm has since been restored in the area.

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By: Joseph Ackon-Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Gomoa Fetteh: 3 sustain gunshot wounds in land-guards’ attack appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

CHAG instructed all of its 183 member institutions to withhold its services from NHIS card holders since the Authority was indebted to CHAG to the tune of 50 million cedis.

The decision greatly affected patients in the rural hospitals who depended on these mission hospitals for health care delivery.

A joint press statement issued by CHAG and NHIA however, indicated that “based on the above understandings, CHAG has agreed that services to NHIS cardholders be restored by CHAG member institutions throughout the country with immediate effect”

Both parties further indicated that they had resolved to facilitate the payment of delayed claims for March, 2014 saying “the NHIA will thereafter work with CHAG to define a claims payment time lag that ensures certainty of payments taking into account current constraints and bearing in mind the legally mandated reimbursement period of 90 days”

Click here to read statement by CHAG and NHIA

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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The party is suing the EC for allowing the use of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card as one of the identity cards to be used for the registration of persons who have turned 18.

Speaking to Citi News, one of the lawyers for Abu Ramadan, Gary Nimako says the Supreme Court must stop the EC from using the NHIS cards for registration.

Mr. Ramadan described the use of NHIS cards as proof for qualification to register voters as “unconstitutional, void and of no effect” since it is tantamount to an applicant registering twice or more.

It therefore requested for an order of a perpetual injunction to restrain the EC from using the NHIS card and other identification cards that does not establish qualification to register voters.

“In effect we want to take a second relief which is a declaration of the true or proper interpretation of the Article 42 of the constitution,” he added.

The EC started  its voter’s registration exercise in July ahead of the 2016 elections.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Sylvester Mensah, NHIA Chief Executive stated this in a speech read for him at a durbar in Ho on Monday for staffs of the Health Insurance Schemes in the Volta Region.

He said the durbar was in the spirit of the Management Retreat earlier on in the year, at which, developmental blueprints of the Authority were discussed.

Mr Mensah stated that the durbars being held in all regions were therefore idea-inlets into a pool to guide management.

According to him, management was intent on improving efficiency to reduce leakages and expected that progress would be made in the programmed restructuring of the schemes and the regional offices of the NHIA.

Ahmed Imoro, Director of Finance who read Mr Mensah’s speech said the regional forums were considered useful encounters.

He pointed out that cost cutting, as demonstrated in the Management Retreat, on account of it being non-residential, gave indications about directions things would go.

Selorm Adonoo, Communications Manager in a media interview said the forum was expected to have a feel of workers concerns and aspirations.

He said arrangements for the implementation of capitation in the region had reached an advanced stage adding that there would also be discussions on biometric registration and updates on e-claims.

He said the NHIA intended to avoid the furore that characterized the introduction of capitation in the Ashanti Region, when it got underway in the other regions.

Elliot Nestor Akototse, Volta Regional Manager of NHIA, said all service providers in the region had been paid their claims for 2013, and that the process to start paying 2014 claims was on.

He therefore, discounted claims that service providers were withholding services for not being paid.

Mr Akototse said with the release of a new drug list soon, the problem of differences of cost of drugs being demanded by Pharmacists would be over.

Source: GNA

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The Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA disclosed this during a visit to some NHIA registration centres in the Greater Accra and Central Regions.

Some of the schemes or registration centres visited include Kpeshie Scheme, La Scheme, Adenta Scheme, and Ablekuma Sub Metro Scheme among others.

Hundreds of subscribers had queued to either register or renew their cards.

All the managers at various registration centres blamed the slow pace of the registration on connectivity challenges.

Speaking to Citi News after the visit, Mr. Mensah said “we have challenges regarding downtime and connectivity. As a result of the rains last night, connectivity is a little poor and it has slowed down the registration process. We have been trying to explain this to some of our subscribers.”

He therefore assured the general public that measures will be put in place to improve connectivity and “ensure faster registration”.

After the monitoring the registration process at various centres, Mr. Mensah said “technically I think that the exercise is going on as planned.”

He however acknowledged the challenges also arising from the increasing numbers at the registration centers.

In that regard, he advised subscribers who had registered earlier to avoid registering again.

“The whole idea is that if you have registered, you don’t need to come to the registration centre. Just use your card and when it’s about to expire, perhaps two weeks to the expiry date of your card ,you could come to the centre and register, ” he advised.

By: Magadalene Larnyoh/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NHIS to ease queues at registration centres appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.