There have been recent reports of terrorist attacks and other security concerns in countries such as Mali, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire.

[contextly_sidebar id=”FU69f8RaHGGFuUT7Ub884TePlZfFeH5l”]Analysts have called for close collaboration between governments in the continent to ensure the threats are adequately dealt with.

Ghana’s Minister of State in Charge of National Security, Bryan Acheampong, while speaking at the opening ceremony of a program dubbed Exchange of Good Practices on Legislations of Security Related Committees in the National Assembly of Nigeria and Parliament of Ghana at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre in Accra, said the cordial relationship between the two countries must lead to stronger collaboration to help deal with security threats that confront both countries.

“The security environment in Africa is changing rapidly and policymakers and legislators need to develop the right skills and competencies to be able to formulate the right policies to support the security agencies to overcome the challenges,” he said.

“The trans-national and cross-border nature of these security threats will require that policymakers and legislators exchange best practices and learn lessons from collaborative policy options and actions. There is no better way than to join hands with Nigeria to affirm the longstanding relationship between the people and governments of both countries,” he added.

Although Ghana is relatively more secure than Nigeria, it believes a collaboration with Nigeria can help it deal with emerging security threats in the country.

Meanwhile, President Nana Akufo-Addo has pledged increased vigilance especially in the country’s capital Accra, to prevent possible terrorist threats.

“I think that Ghana is stable, Ghana is secure, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that image, that reality of Ghana continues,” Akufo-Addo said, during an interaction with journalists at the Flagstaff House to mark his first year in office.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Issah Wedam, whose age was not given by the police, was suspected to be part of a gang involved in recent robberies on the Esaase-Bokankye stretch on the main Kumasi-Sunyani road.

According to Police, the gang on Friday, 23^rd February 2018, blocked the Esaase-Bokankye stretch amidst shooting leading to the death of one Kwabena Ofusuhene, a pillion rider.

The Abuakwa District Police Command on Friday, 9^th March 2018, arrested 19-year old Eric Vivor alias Destiny, and Issah Wedam (now deceased) for their involvement in the robbery.

The suspects admitted to the crime and mentioned Egollah, Azumah, Mmoyah, Appolar and Kwaku who are all at large as their accomplices.

The now-deceased suspect later led the police to a room at Atwima-Owabi where two (2) locally manufactured guns, a cutlass, assorted mobile phones and a leather ammunition belt with four cartridges were retrieved.

Other items retrieved included; a sword, a pinch bar, a black pack containing assorted ID cards and documents from some financial institutions as well as large quantities of assorted provisions suspected to have been robbed from their victims.

Ashanti Regional Police Commander, COP Ken Yeboah, addressing journalists in Kumasi said whilst police were escorting Issah Wedam to a waiting vehicle, the suspect took to his heels through a bamboo farm towards the banks of the Owabi River to enable him to escape lawful custody.

The police chased after the suspect and fired at him wounding him.

“The suspect was re-arrested and rushed to the Abuakwa Health Center for treatment, but was pronounced dead on arrival”, he added.

He indicated that the command will prosecute suspect Eric Vivor.

The body has since been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) morgue for preservation and autopsy.

This incident comes at a time when similar robberies have occurred in other parts of the country, raising concerns about general insecurity.

The police administration has stepped up efforts to reduce the robberies by arresting perpetrators and making sure they face the full rigours of the law.

Security guard killed in fuel station robbery

A 43-year old security guard was recently killed by suspected armed robbers who invaded a Goil Fuel Station at Maaban near Adankwame in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region. 

Kwaku Abora was found dead on a mat on top of the first floor of the Fuel Station building under construction, after the robbery incident on Saturday, 10^th March 2018.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Samuel Ansah had pleaded guilty to the charge of incest and was convicted on his own plea.

The victim, a first-year Junior High School (JHS) student is carrying a two-month-old pregnancy.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Essel-Dadzie told the court that the girl had been living with Ansah at Aboso in the Prestea Huni/Valley District of the Western Region.

She fell sick and the convict mixed a substance with Kaisa apple drink and gave it to her to drink.

The unsuspecting daughter did as she was told by the father but immediately after taking it she became dizzy after which he locked the door and had sex with her.

He warned her not to tell anybody about it but repeatedly had sex with her.

In December last year, the girl noticed that she was pregnant and informed a neighbour, who led her to the police station to make a report.

Ansah was subsequently arrested and he confessed committing the offence during police interrogation.

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Source: GNA

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In reaction to the condemnations that his fears were far-fetched, Mr. Rawlings retorted that none of the skeptics “are in a position to recognise security related power play better than me.”

In a statement on social media, the former President described some these skeptics as having timid minds, further suggesting that such persons were oblivious of the the level of rot within the society.

Thus, he said such persons “should not expect to be able to know or see what I see – much more to downplay it.”

pic.twitter.com/BfoOfpawyO

— Jerry John Rawlings (@officeofJJR) March 5, 2018

Last week, when the reports of robberies were rampant, Mr. Rawlings in a statement said he hoped the heightened insecurity was not politically motivated.

“Let us hope the recent robbery and killings is downright plain robbery and not a politically motivated action from within or without, calculated to undermine those in charge of the security machinery in order to pave the way for certain parochial ambitions,” the former President stated.

Reshuffling of police hierarchy

Mr. Rawlings’ concerns last week came shortly before a major shake-up hit the police hierarchy.

Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, then-Director General of Police Operations, was reassigned to head the Research and Planning Department.

He was replaced by the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Simon Afeku.

Nine others were also reassigned to take up various positions across the country.

No official reason has been given for the reshuffle.

The dramatic increase in the robbery cases also led to the government intensifying the already-ongoing operation ‘Calm Life’ which is aimed at combating criminal activities in all parts of the country.

The government said military personnel were going to be deployed onto the streets of major cities nationwide to assist the police as part of efforts to halt the surge in robberies.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Rawlings slams persons doubting robberies could be political appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Fataw was remanded, even though his plea was not taken, because of the lack of a Dagbani interpreter at the court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector, Kwabena Adu, told the court that the complainant, Suleiman, is a scrap dealer who lives at Agbogbloshie, whilst the accused is a driver from the same area.

He said on February 19, at about 12:45pm the complainant was at his work place around the Sikkens company at Agbogbloshie, when Fataw came to the yard with his tricycle full of rubbish to dump there.

He said the complainant told the accused not to dump the rubbish in the yard, since the elders of the yard had warned persons living in the area not to dump rubbish in and around the place.

The prosecution said Fataw became offended, left the tricycle in the yard, went to call five others, who are currently on the run, armed with a locally manufactured pistol and attacked the complainant.

The accused pulled a pistol from his pocket, but the complainant held his hand and with the assistance of the complainant’s brothers, the accused was overpowered and the pistol taken from him.

Mr Adu told the court that, a spot search conducted on Fataw revealed six ‘AAA’ live cartridges.

He was handed over to the Agbogbloshie Police, together with the pistol and the cartridges.

In the course of investigations, the case was transferred to Regional Criminal Investigation Department, Accra for further investigations.

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Source: GNA

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As part of its plan, the government has said that:

• There will be heavy military and police presence in major cities across the country starting from today [Thursday, March, 1].
• There will be surgical operations in certain areas of the countries based on intelligence to flush out criminals and suspected criminals.
• That the Ministry of Energy has been directed to accelerate the pace of its cities and communities lighting programme in order to light up our cities and communities in especially crime-prone areas.
• There will be enhanced surveillance on financial institutions, forex bureaus and money vending points across our cities.
• That all financial institutions take steps to install CCTV cameras on their premises.
• That the Government will roll out a programme to link all these CCTV cameras to a national operation command centre.
• The security personnel will crack down on citizens using mounted sirens on vehicles illegally.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Govt’s 7-point plan to halt surge in robberies appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Ashanti Regional Police Command has begun processes to move its personnel stationed at offices in various units and departments to join the patrol teams.

The move according to the command is part of measures to augment the number of personnel on patrols and also intensify the fight against crime in the region following recent robbery incidents in the Greater Accra Region.

The command said there has been a massive decline in crime cases in the region between 2016 and 2017.

In 2016, the region recorded a total of 35,340 crime cases and 33,074 for the year 2017 with the difference in decline representing 6.4%.

Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Juliana Obeng, who disclosed this to Citi News said the command has put in place further measures to avert robbery cases as being recorded in Accra and Tema Regions.

“Some of these measures includes the fact that we are looking at the situation where we would have to engage the services of personnel working in the offices. By this I mean to say that, for some offices we do know that for now we can manage with probably one or two persons in an office. So if we move into that office and we realize that they are more than one or two persons who can manage their affair at this time,  then we will move the third, fourth, fifth person to join the patrol team”, she revealed.

She said the command will also add to the fleet of vehicles provided by Government to improve on the movement of the personnel who go for patrols.

ASP Obeng indicated that the command will soon meet heads of financial institutions and other key businesses within the region to educate them on how they can focus more on their security and not only concentrating on their activities.

The command, she added will continue its engagement with the citizenry to get them understand basic security tips and how they can manage their personal security.

As part of the measures, ASP Obeng said the command has met Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Ashanti Region and appealed to them to improve on the road networks in their areas to help the police respond to distress calls swiftly.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post A/R: Police personnel in offices to join patrol teams appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

As part of the ongoing ‘Operation Calm Life’, the government has also said there will be increased surveillance of financial institutions, including banks, forex bureaus and other microfinance companies.

[contextly_sidebar id=”6yH5Wn4pxbYFoObddG9sbBux5ZHlIAq6″]Speaking after Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia called an emergency meeting with top security officials on Thursday, the Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid, said the CCTV cameras will be linked to a national operation command centre.

In the increasing spate of robberies, financial institutions have emerged as consistent targets for robbers.

In the Spintex road area alone, about 20 forex bureaux have been robbed in just 2018.

A Lebanese man was also robbed and killed after he after he had just withdrawn GHc 200,000 from the bank in the Tema Industrial Area.

All these are in addition to the attacks on mobile money vending spots in some major cities which have left a number of fatalities.

Outlining the measures to better protect financial institutions and their patrons, Mr. Hamid said “there will be enhanced surveillance on financial institutions, forex bureaus and money vending points across our cities.”

“Government also directs that all financial institutions take steps to install CCTV camera on their premises. The government will roll out a programme to link all these CCTV cameras to a national operation command centre,” the Information Minister added.

Other moves from government

In response to the recent robbery and murder cases, the government has said that:

• There will be heavy military and police presence in major cities across the country starting from today [Thursday, March, 1].
• There will be surgical operations in certain areas of the countries based on intelligence to flush out criminals and suspected criminals.
• That the Ministry of Energy has been directed to accelerate the pace of its cities and communities lighting programme in order to light up our cities and communities in especially crime-prone areas.
• The security personnel will crack down on citizens using mounted sirens on vehicles illegally.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Gov’t orders financial institutions to install CCTV cameras appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This was announced by the Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid, after Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia called an emergency meeting with top security officials on Thursday following the increased crime wave.

Mr. Hamid said the ongoing operation ‘Calm Life’ aimed at combating criminal activities in all parts, “has been enhanced with immediate effect.”

Among the interventions from the government, he said there will be “heavy military and police presence in our major cities across the country starting from today [Thursday, March, 1].”

Mr. Hamid also said “there will be surgical operations in certain areas of our countries based on intelligence whose purpose shall be to flush out criminals and suspected criminals.”

“We are therefore calling on the public not to panic or be nervous when they find police and military teams in their various areas. They mean no harm. They will harm no person that are going about their lawful duties and they are only in search of criminals and suspected criminals,” the Information Minister added.

COP Dampare, 10 others reassigned

These interventions come amid the major reshuffle at the top of the Police hierarchy as DCOP George Akuffo Dampare, Director General of Police Operations, was among 10 others reassigned by the Inspector General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu.

DCOP Dampare has been moved to head the Research and Planning Department of the Police Service and he is to be replaced immediately by the Eastern Regional Police Commander, COP Simon Afeku.

Whilst the reasons for the latest reshuffle are unknown; it comes at a time when the police service has come under severe criticism following the increased insecurity.

Other interventions from government

In response to the recent robbery and murder cases, the government has also said:

• There will be enhanced surveillance on financial institutions, forex bureaus and money vending points across our cities.
• That all financial institutions take steps to install CCTV cameras on their premises.
• That the Government will roll out a programme to link all these CCTV cameras to a national operation command centre.
• That the Ministry of Energy has been directed to accelerate the pace of its cities and communities lighting programme in order to light up our cities and communities in especially crime-prone areas.
• The security personnel will crack down on citizens using mounted sirens on vehicles illegally.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Soldiers to help fight ruthless armed robbers – Gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In a statement on social media, he noted some concern that some persons may be orchestrating the upsurge in crime for parochial motives.

“Let us hope the recent robbery and killings is downright plain robbery and not a politically motivated action from within or without, calculated to undermine those in charge of the security machinery in order to pave the way for certain parochial ambitions,” the former President stated.

Despite this, Mr. Rawlings said the security agencies owe Ghanaians “the responsibility of keeping the nation safe and secure.

“Let us all confront this menace with utmost confidence and professionalism while ensuring that no one, high or low takes advantage of our vulnerabilities,” he added in his statement.

There has been a dramatic surge in robberies and violent crime in the past month.

A number of these robberies have been carried out in broad daylight and have resulted in multiple casualties.

Most recently, on the morning of Wednesday, February 28, a Lebanese national was robbed of GHc 200,000 and killed at the Tema Industrial area in the Greater Accra Region.

The victim, Ahmed Safiadeen, aged 54, was a cashier of Delta Agro Company and had gone to withdraw the amount of GHC 200,000 from the bank for the salaries of workers, and other factory expenses of the company.

Beyond the killing of the Lebanese, there was a daylight attack on a Forex Bureaux at Spintex and two robberies in the North Kaneshie area this past week.

In one of the incidents, about 10 armed men stormed Royal Motors, an automobile company in Accra, making away with the company’s sales.

Eyewitnesses reported that the robbers trailed a bullion van that had entered the Industrial Area premises of the company to collect the company’s sales made the previous day.

‘We’re ready to die’

Despite these attacks, the Director of Operations for the Ghana Police Service, DCOP George Akufo Dampare, has said although his outfit is logistically deficient, they are ready to put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of every Ghanaian.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, DCOP Dampare also noted that the support of the citizens will go a long way to help the Police Service combat the increasing rate of crime in the country.

“We want to give them [citizens] the assurance that we will go every length, including losing our lives to make them safe. We understand that we are not there yet, in terms of the full complement of our equipment. We also understand that over the years, government after government has made an attempt to bring us to a particular level in terms of equipment,” he said.

Over 20 robbery suspects have been arrested this week in connection with robberies in areas like Spintex, Tema and Kanashie.

According to the police, several of such robbers who have been arrested since Monday are currently undergoing screening.

COP Dampare, 10 others reassigned amidst soaring robbery cases

Mr. Rawlings’ comments came shortly before a major reshuffle hit the service.  Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Director General of Police Operations, has been reassigned by the Inspector General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu, to head the Research and Planning Department.

He is to be replaced immediately by the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Simon Afeku.

Nine others have also been reassigned to take up various positions across the country. Whilst the reasons for the latest reshuffle are unknown; it comes at a time when the police service has come under severe criticism following an increase in robbery cases across the country.

Below is s full list of the transfers

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post I hope recent robberies are not politically motivated – Rawlings appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.