There had been a heated gun battle between the police and the group of suspected robbers in the Eastern Regional town at dawn on Tuesday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”zBXTyfbGkDm6S0gdfiD8nsqO4dZnzk4g”]The robbers, who were in two vehicles, a Ford Fuso and Ford sprinter with registration numbers GT-3371- 13, and AS-3801-13 respectively, allegedly attacked the trailer when it developed a mechanical fault at Suhum Omenako on the main Accra-Kumasi Highway.

The Eastern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, who confirmed the incident and subsequent arrests to Citi News, said one of the suspects, Owusu William, had sustained gunshot wounds.

“The police had information that there was a robbery going on at Omenako close to Suhum so the patrol team quickly moved to the crime scene, and upon reaching there they met the suspected robbers who exchange gunfire with the police,” he narrated.

“In the process two of the suspects were arrested, one Owusu William was hit and sustained gunshot wounds, another suspect, Emmanuel Yeboah a driver was also apprehended and as I speak Owusu is on guard at the Suhum Hospital receiving treatment and Yeboah is in police custody helping with investigations”.

ASP Ebenezer Tetteh also disclosed that the Regional Police Command has begun a manhunt for the other suspects who managed to escape.

“The other suspects however escaped and we are on a manhunt for them. We are using this opportunity to give out information to the general public especially landowners, hospitals and herbal centres within and around Suhum and adjoining areas to quickly report to the police or inform us if anybody comes to them with complaints of injuries because we believe that the suspects who escaped might have sustained some form of injuries as a result of the gun battle with the police”.

“The vehicles which were being used by the armed robbers in their operation have been impounded at the police station to assist us with investigations,” ASP Tetteh added.

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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The yet to be identified deceased is believed to be a member of a gang linked to the recent murder of a policeman in Tema, and series of robbery attacks in the Ashanti Region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”uMQibgnqC136jM5XLNT4CdKtWeaIowma”]Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, the Head of Public Affairs Unit of the Regional Police Command, confirmed this to journalists and said the incident happened at about 0900 hours on Monday.

The police received information that one Basit Obolo, alias “Outlaw”, somebody, who was being sought for his involvement in violent crimes, was hiding in an uncompleted building at Aboabo with three other colleagues.

A team of officers was quickly sent to the place, where they met Obolo just at the entrance to the building and arrested him.

ASP Obeng said while being escorted, one of his colleagues pulled a gun and shot at one of the officers to free the suspect from his grip.

The police returned fire and the deceased took a direct hit. He died instantly of his gunshot wounds.

She added that, Basit and the others, however managed to escape and vowed that everything would be done to arrest and bring them to justice.

ASP Obeng indicated that, the injured officer “is responding to treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the nation’s second largest referral facility”.

Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary of the same hospital.

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Source: GNA

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Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Olivia Adiku, the Western Regional Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the clash, named the victims as Salim Issah, Abdul Aziz, Aminu Sirinu, Abdul Rashid, Aminu Mohammed.

The rest are Alhassan Abdulai, Khassum Issah and Halifa Cissey.

She said at about at 0930 hrs on Thursday, the Sekondi Police received a distress call about the clash from some opinion leaders at Sekondi.

She said a police patrol team was immediately dispatched to the area to intervene and bring sanity to the area.

The police PRO revealed that a locally manufactured pistol together with two used BB cartridges, a knife and cutlasses were retrieved.

ASP Adiku said “seven people with various degrees of sharp object wounds later reported at the Sekondi Police Station”.

She said they were issued with Police medical forms to seek medical treatment and report for further action.

She said currently, a team of policemen have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

It would be recalled that a similar incident happened at the Sekondi Central Mosque when some residents of the Sekondi Zongo raided the worship place, attacked and inflicted cutlass wounds on some of the worshipers during the month of Ramadan.

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Source: GNA

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According to the Regional Police Command, the two deceased among others, engaged the police in a gun battle at about 5:00am on the Agyagyekrom-Asuadei road.

[contextly_sidebar id=”uwhpfaJzqT7pt59PkydZcEdwWQEFEbQ2″]Briefing the press on the incident, the 2nd in Command of the Police in the Ashanti Region, ACP Ampofo Duku, said the “Police had intelligence that, the armed robbers numbering about five (5) had planned to attack a Gold dealer at Manso Nkwanta on the said date.”

He said the Police “laid ambush at the said spot that the armed robbers had planned to carry out their operation.”

“Whiles at the spot, the five (5) armed robbers emerged, with two of them wielding pump action guns and a locally manufactured pistol waiting for the victim to approach.”

He said the robbers on suspecting the presence of the police at the scene, started “shooting into the direction of the Police”, having missed a shot at the occupant of the approaching vehicle.

ACP Ampofo Duku explained that “Police also returned fire resulting in the instant death of two of the suspects. ”

The three other suspects managed to escape.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the deceased robbers, aged between 30-35 years, have been deposited at the Agroyesum hospital morgue for autopsy and identification.

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By: Lauretta Timah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 2 suspected robbers shot dead in gun battle with Police appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Uruguay forward was punished after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

An initial appeal against the 27-year-old’s suspension was rejected by Fifa.

The appeal has been filed by Suarez, Uruguay and Barcelona, the Spanish club he joined last month in a £75m transfer from Liverpool.

CAS has agreed to fast-track the case, and it is thought a verdict could be announced by the end of the week after the hearing.

Barcelona’s first match of the new La Liga season is on 24 August, but if the ban is upheld, Suarez will be out until late October.

Under the terms of the suspension, he is banned from “any football-related activity”, which means he cannot train with his club or enter the confines of any stadium, although players’ union Fifpro argues the details “lack clarity”.

Suarez is also banned from playing for the national team for nine matches and was fined 100,000 Swiss francs (£66,000).

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Source: BBC Sport

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Steven Gerrard has revealed he told Luis Suarez to stay at Liverpool last season as he was too good for Arsenal.

Suarez, who left Anfield for Barcelona earlier this month in a £75million deal, was linked with a move to Premier League rivals Arsenal last summer after they tabled a £40m bid for his services.

However, Liverpool managed to keep hold of the Uruguay international and Gerrard has admitted he played a key role in persuading Suarez to snub the overtures of the Gunners.

Gerrard admits he is sad to see Suarez leave Anfield, but holds no grudges against last season’s top scorer for making the move to Spanish giants Barcelona.

“His dream all along from the first day he came was to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona,” said Gerrard

“Last summer when he was out in the cold and training on his own that’s the conversation I had with him. I said, ‘Don’t go to Arsenal’.

“With all due respect to them, I said to him that he was too good for Arsenal.

“I said, ‘If you score 30 goals for us and win the PFA Player of the Year, the press Player of the Year, they (Barca and Madrid) will come back for you’.

“I have experience of those clubs myself and I know if you play well they will come back and come back. So I knew they’d be back for him as well.

“I just thought for his own sake, and to get respect off the Liverpool fans, he had to give us at least one year.”

Gerrard added: “A lot of people might still think he should have given us one more, but that’s the same with most foreigners.

“My big dream was to play for Liverpool, and the foreign players’ big dream is to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona – that’s a fact.

“For me, I would have been really sad and disappointed to see Luis go to Arsenal.

“I’m disappointed to see him leave now but I am happy for him that’s he has got what he wants and deserves.

“Since day one he has been phenomenal in training every day and in the games.

“His wife is from Barcelona and I don’t think you can begrudge a player like that who has worked so hard for his dream.

“You can’t go against him when he says he is leaving for Barcelona, but I’d have been disappointed if he had left and gone to Arsenal.”

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Source: Sky Sports

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Suarez, signed from Liverpool for £75m this summer, is serving a four-month ban for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup.

He was banned on 26 June but the incident took place on 24 June, meaning he should be available at the Bernabeu.

The second El Clasico of the season is set for 22 March 2015.

Suarez was banned from all football-related activities by Fifa and cannot train with his new club and is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium.

Defending champions Atletico Madrid begin their campaign against Rayo Vallecano on the weekend of 24 August, with Barca at home to Elche and Real hosting Cordoba.

Real could hand debuts to £71m forward James Rodriguez and German World Cup winner Toni Kroos against the newly promoted side.

Fellow new boys Eibar and Deportivo La Coruna begin against Real Sociedad and Granada respectively.

This week, La Liga agreed to use ‘vanishing spray’ – popular during the World Cup – to mark out the position of the wall at free-kicks.

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Source: BBC Sport

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The Catalan giants announced on Wednesday that the controversial Uruguayan was “100 per cent” a Barca player, although the striker was conspicuous by his absence at a press conference due to his four-month FIFA ban from all football-related activity after biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder at the World Cup.

That incident, the third time in Suarez’s career that he had been banned for biting, prompted many in the game to urge Rodgers to get rid of his star forward before the start of the season.

But the Northern Irishman is adamant that the 27-year-old’s exit was more down to his desire to move to Catalonia than his antics in Brazil.

“He wanted to go and play in Spain, and unfortunately when a player no longer wants to play for you, we need as a club to look at it.

“It was his decision for him to go, he’s gone to Barcelona, a club he wanted to play for and now we’ll move on.

“I’m not sure if he would have gone regardless of the World Cup. But I never felt that towards the end of the season, and likewise he never said he would give us another year either. He had obviously signed a new deal so we had that.

“But I think we have had great service out of Luis and it’s one that we can’t worry too much about now, it’s done, it’s gone and our focus is here.

“There is a lot of work going on with the recruitment team in terms of getting in the right player and I am sure we can identify that.

“This club and many other clubs have shown over a period of time you move on, and believe me, it will be a really exciting season for us.”

Suarez will be ineligible to play for Barca, who reportedly paid £75million for his services – or even to train with his team-mates – unless any appeal lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is successful.

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Source: Sky Sports

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Although the striker arrived in the Catalan city on Tuesday to finalise the deal, he had to be ‘unveiled’ by Barca under the terms of his current ban.

The 27-year-old is serving a four-month FIFA suspension from all football-related activity after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder during a World Cup match.

As a result, Suarez could not be formally unveiled at the Nou Camp on Wednesday morning, but new Barca coach Luis Enrique and director of football Andoni Zubizarreta were available to answer questions.

Suarez will be ineligible to play for Barcelona or even to train with his team-mates until late October following his transfer for a reported £75m.

And Zubizarreta would not confirm rumours that the club are planning to appeal his ban with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“Luis Suarez is a Barcelona player for all purposes but the recommendation from our lawyers has been to remain discreet,” Zubizarreta said.

“Our lawyers tell us that we should be very prudent with what we say and your question is asking about something that’s could only happen after certain verdicts have been reached.

“Then we’ll be able to explain things better. But it’s fact, it’s true. He’s 100 per cent a member of the club.

“We’re speaking to our lawyers to find out the best way of defending his rights but at the moment there’s nothing I can say about that.”

Enrique is happy with the work the board has already done to boost his options and understands the frustrations of the transfer market as he tries to secure other deals before the new season begins.

“We’ve been working hard and we’ve been in contact the whole time,” he said of his relationship with the board.

“It’s not just a question of going to the supermarket and taking players home, it’s a complicated process.

“I know I’ve got a good group of players including one of the best players in the world.

“My objective is to get the best out of all the players in my squad. All managers want to have the best players that they possibly can.

“When I joined Barca I knew what players we had and we’ve been strengthening and I’m really happy.

“My target is to put a team together that is as competitive as possible.”

Enrique, 44, is also working to persuade veteran midfielder Xavi to remain at the club amid reports he could be tempted to move to Major League Soccer or to the Middle East in pursuit of a new challenge.

“Yes I’ve spoken to Xavi and it’s a matter that hasn’t been decided yet,” Enrique said. “He has a contract with the club and we’re waiting to see what decision he comes to.

“He’s a player for whom I have a lot of respect.”

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Source: Sky Sports

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Suarez’s impending £75million move can go ahead in the coming days despite his four-month worldwide ban from all football-related activity.

But FIFA has confirmed the suspension does prevent the kind of welcoming ceremony Barcelona customarily throw for their marquee signings.

Spokeswoman Delia Fischer said: “The ban relates to all football-related activity. He cannot be in a football-related public event irrespective of the venue. He cannot even be involved in a football-related charity event.”

Suarez has already failed to have his ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini shortened or overturned by FIFA, but the Uruguay striker’s lawyer is planning to take the fight to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The court (CAS) can suspend the ban pending an appeal, but Suarez would then run the risk of the entire ban falling within next season.

As it stands he will be available for his new club by the end of October, although Uruguay must do without their star man for nine internationals.

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Source: Sky Sports

The post You can’t unveil Suarez – FIFA tells Barcelona appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.