Five of the suspects, who are suspected armed robbers, and said to be the gang behind a number of criminal activities, including rape and murder at Baatsona and its surrounding communities, were arrested at their hideouts at Lashibi.

The suspects are Kofi Anin Mohammed, 25; Mohammed Kasina, 22; Kwabena Arko, 20; Mohammed Awal, 19; and Oteng Obour Samuel, 25.

Three of the suspects have been on the police wanted list for the distribution of narcotic drugs, especially Indian hemp, to robbers for the past two years.

They are Charles Coffie, 31; Hamidu Latif, 21, and Rigina Odai, 18.

Briefing the media on Monday, the Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Alex Mensah, said five of the arrests were made on October 6, 2017, while the three drug dealers were busted on October 12 this year.

Suspected robbers busted

Mr. Mensah said the five suspected armed robbers, who had terrorised residents of Baatsona and its surrounding areas for many months, had been on the police wanted list for about three years.

“Since the creation of the Baatsona Division in the latter part of 2015, armed and other forms of robbery have been the main challenges confronting the division,” he said.

Mr. Mensah said a number of the robbery operations were carried out during the night by the gang which usually used unregistered motorbikes.

Narrating how the police made the arrest, he said they managed to secure the hideout of the robbers after several attempts.

“On October 6, 2017, the Division Command raided a room at a Block Factory at Lashibi, Ramsar site, where suspects Kofi Anan Mohammed and Mohammed Kasina were arrested.”

After their arrest, the police used them to locate the hideout of the other three suspects who were arrested on October 9 this year.
Following the arrest, he said the suspects were paraded at the police station where seven victims identified them.

Suspected Drug dealers

Concerning the drug menace, Mr. Mensah said the Divisional Commander at the Baatsona Police Station, gathered that the drug peddlers supplied Indian hemp and other narcotic substances to robbers.

On October 6, this year, he said the police arrested Charles Coffie in a wooden structure at Lashibi Celebrity Hills.

“A search on him revealed one full compressed slab of dried leaves, two cut pieces of compressed slabs, 12 wrappers, and quantities of similar dried leaves tied in polythene bags and two partly smoked pieces of a similar substance suspected to be Indian hemp,” he said.

After his arrest, Mr. Mensah said Coffie declined to disclose the identity of his suppliers, but on October 9, this year, a similar swoop led to the arrest of the other two suspects.
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By: Graphic Online/Ghana

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The Regional Commander, DCOP Nathan Kofi Boakye, told reporters that several incidents had marred the voter registration process in the region.

The Electoral Commission, on Monday August 4, began a nationwide process across 6,000 centres, to register Ghanaians who turned 18 after the 2012 general elections and adults who could not register during the previous registration exercises.

According to DCOP Boakye, the police in the Ashanti region have received reports that “the equipment of the Electoral Commission had been smashed by a group of people,” while somebody was allegedly stabbed in Abrotia.

He revealed that as a result of the reports, “about 120 police officers will be deployed to go to every station” to oversee the exercise.

DCOP Boakye was speaking at a meeting with the executives of the political parties  and warned them not  to send “thugs to the polling station” who might try to interfere with the exercise

“The registration equipment, the registration agents and all the materials used for the registration are out of bounds to everybody apart from the accredited people,” he said.

He added that the policemen had been instructed “to do all that is necessary and take any action to stop people from interfering with the exercise.”

Meanwhile, the regional Chairmen of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have pledged their commitment  to ensuring that the voter registration exercise goes on smoothly.

Both men, however, added that while they are “brothers,” they would not hesitate to retaliate if the lives of their agents were threatened or if they suspected that there were“any malpractices.”

By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post A/R Police warns against voter registration violence appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A press statement signed by the National Youth Organizer of the PNC, Abu Ramadan said the “youth wing demands a suspension of the voter registration exercise pending an audit of the 2012 voter register.”

The PNC said EC should not begin another exercise until the EC audits the 2012 voter register.

The group is also asking for an immediate  Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting with the EC.

The party said it will go to court to secure an injunction against the exercise if their demands are not met.

“We are giving the EC a two week ultimatum to respond to our demands as major stakeholders in the process. Failure to heed will resort to all legal means at our disposal. We will not sit and allow the Electoral Commission to plunge this nation into chaos,”it said.

The party further stated that “the use of sub standard biometric devices which caused a lot of difficulties and challenges for the voter and election officials must not be entertained.”

“The EC should abrogate the contract with STL and re-open tender to allow stakeholders to be part of the selection process in the interest of Ghana,” it further asked.

Below is the full statement issued by the party

EC SHOULD HAULT THE IMPENDING NATIONAL REGISTRATION EXERCISE

Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the media. The Youth wing of the People’s National Convention have invited you here today to add our voice to the misdoings of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. Not too long ago they published notice notifying all Ghanaians that a voter registration exercise will take off in June 2014 for those who  will be 18 years by June this year as part of the Commissions preparation towards the District level elections.

At least, from afar, a cursory analysis of the situation will give an ample grounds of the penciled registration exercise based on its timing and justification. But as it’s always said, the “devil is almost always details.”

The youth of the PNC per this medium, states unequivocally, our stance on the impending Registration exercise slated for next month. “Is it not intriguing that the Electoral Commission, regardless of the huge Electoral mishap and the novelty of a Supreme Court case has decided in their wisdom to throw caution to the wind by coming up with a registration announcement”?  Again if the Supreme Court and the recommendation of His Lordship Justice Dotse’s recommended reforms in his ruling is be taken into account, then there is an obvious billowing smoke of catastrophe in our line-up to the general elections.

Firstly, how can the NHIS card be a basis for legibility of an individual to own valid voters ID card? The NHIS card is issued to any person regardless of nationality. To a get a credible voter register devoid of foreign nationals we demand that this provision should be scraped from the requirement to get registered.

Secondly, a comprehensive detail of the STL contract with the electoral commission should be made public. It will be recalled that in 2012 this nation was at the brink of going onto its knees due to the inefficiency of STL. The nicodemus manner in which STL was awarded the contract and the subsequent renewal is questionable to many of us.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, with regards to the agreement between EC and STL, how can one believe in an institution with this track record of providing ineffective devices which had to be restarted every four hours during voting? The use of sub standard biometric devices which caused a lot of difficulties and challenges for the voter and election officials must not be entertained. The EC should abrogate the contract with STL and re-open tender to allow stakeholders to be part of the selection process in the interest of Ghana.

Last but not the least, we call for the presence of political party and independent representatives at the EC offices, particularly in the room where the biometric voter registry is being compiled (Central Work station where adjudication is done). These representatives must be provided with daily updates of

i) Electronic list of de-duplicated persons,

ii) Audit trail report of additions, duplicates and removals/deletions of duplicates.

In conclusion the Youth wing demand a suspension of the voter registration exercise e pending an audit of the 2012 voter register and an immediate IPAC meeting be called by the Electoral Commission to enable party’s raise their concerns pertaining to the voter registration. The interest of mother Ghana is paramount to all

We are giving the EC a two week ultimatum to respond to our demands as major stakeholders in the process. Failure to heed will resort to all legal means at our disposal. We will not sit and allow the Electoral Commission to plunge this nation into chaos.

Thank you and God bless you

Signed

National  Youth Organizer

0244570006/0243048465/0248274646

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @EfeAnsah

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