The year 2016 was one of the most interesting years in Ghana’s history.
It was a year that saw the truncation of the reign of ‘The Johns’ who have ruled Ghana in the last two decades.
It was a year that saw a number of scandals bedevil the Mahama-led administration, introduction of killer taxes, hosting of GITMO 3, brouhaha over 3 South African security operatives, rejection of a new voters register.
The Fulani menace in Agogo and other parts of the country also at some point in time came up for discussion after some farmers accused the Fulanis of destroying their farms and killing their relatives.
The year 2016 also saw the defeat of President John Mahama by the New Patriotic Party’s three time presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and subsequently last minute award of fresh contracts and new appointments and recruitment.
12 biggest stories that kept Ghana talking in January
President John Dramani Mahama while addressing the nation on the eve of New Year admonished Ghanaians to eschew cynicism and be hopeful for the coming year 2016.
He further assured of his willingness to listen to the concerns of Ghanaians and tackle their challenges, saying “I have listened, I am listening and I will continue to listen…” adding that any of his official who does not share in his vision should tender in their resignation letters.
However, little did Ghanaians know that the government will take certain decisions that will upset citizens.
1. Killer taxes
Some of the decisions that did not go down well with Ghanaians in January 2016 include implementation of new taxes approved by parliament in December 2015.
They include the introduction of the energy levies that saw an increment in prices of petroleum products, the rise in withholding tax as well as the implementation of a one percent tax on savings and interest.
Organised labour became furious over the hikes in petroleum products as well as the hikes in utility tariffs which was announced by the PURC in 2015 and demanded a drastic reduction.
They embarked on a nationwide demonstration to have their demands met including an increment in the salaries of public sector workers by 50%.
Government following several negotiations with Organised Labour subsequently reduced electricity prices for low power consumers.
More here:
- The latest increase of between 18 to 27 percent in the prices of petroleum products occasioned by the passage of the Energy Sector Levy (ESL) by Parliament last month, took effect Monday January 4.
- New information from Parliament revealed that the Ministry of Finance only sanctioned a 5% and a 2.9% increase in the price of petrol and diesel, which took effect from January 4, 2016.
- Parliament to summon Finance Minister, Seth Terkper and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Moses Asaga for providing what it describes as misleading information for the passage of the controversial energy sector levy.
- Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, said any attempt to reverse the increased utility tariffs and new taxes will negatively affect government’s ability to fix the energy crisis.
2. Send Gitmo detainees away!
Government’s decision to also host two former inmates from Guantanamo Bay detainees in the country did not resonate well with Ghanaians as it created fear and panic among citizens who believed that the two despite receiving assurance from the US government that they pose low risk could return to unleashing terror on them.
Several groups, bodies and political parties, Members of Parliament put pressure on government to return the former inmates.
President Mahama while addressing the press called for compassion for the detainees, a statement which further muddied the waters.
The president also discounted claims that he had received monies from the US government before hosting the two Gitmo detainees in the country.
More here:
- Government announced that it will receive some Yemen and Syrian refugees in the country including some two former Guantanamo detainees.
- The US government said it has clarified and addressed all security lapses before transferring two Yemeni detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison to Ghana, nearly six years after their transfer approval.
- The United States Embassy in Ghana assured citizens that the presence of the two former detainees from the Guantanamo prison, poses no threat to the security of the country.
- A former Interior Minister in the erstwhile Kufuor administration, K.T Hammond, admonished the government to send the former Guantanamo Bay detainees back to the United States, where they were repatriated from.
- A Member of Parliament’s Committee on Defence and Interior said he will urge his colleagues to invite and question Foreign Affairs and Interior Ministers over the Guantanamo detainee’s brouhaha.
- Mustapha Abdul Hamid, a lecturer at the Department of Religion and Human Values of the University of Cape Coast said Ghanaians must be alarmed by the decision of government to keep the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees despite wide public outcry.
- The NPP is demanding the government disclose the terms of agreement backing the decision to resettle the two former detainees and Yemeni terror suspects from the American Guantanamo Bay Prison.
- The two Guantanamo Bay ex-detainees in Ghana spoke for the first time in an attempt to allay the fears of apprehensive Ghanaians, who say they are security threats to the country.
- President John Mahama has appealed for compassion from Ghanaians for the Guantanamo Bay detainees who will spend two years in Ghana.
- The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ conference described government’s decision to resettle the two former detainees from the American Guantanamo Bay Prison as “wrong” and “dangerous,” joining forces with other christian organisations against the move.
- Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, described the ongoing saga over government’s decision to host the two Guantanamo Bay detainees as yet another example of the failure of leadership on the part of President John Mahama.
3. EC rejects new voters’ register proposal
Following claims by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that Ghana’s voters’ register is bloated with names of foreigners and minors, the Electoral Commission constituted a five-member committee to hear the arguments and make recommendations.
The Committee recommended that there was no need for a new voters’ register because the arguments were “unconvincing.”
Whereas the NDC welcomed the decision, the opposition NPP said they were disappointed at the EC and accused it bias.
More here:
- The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) welcomed the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) not to compile a new register.
- The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) said it is not happy with the decision of the Electoral Commission to reject demands to compile a new voters’register for the 2016 general elections.
- Pro-opposition pressure group, Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), hinted of a court action to compel the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new voter’s register.
- The New Patriotic Party (NPP) described as “disappointing,” the Electoral Commission’s decision not to compile a new voter’s register.
- In defense of its decision not to create a new voters’ register for this year’s general elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) revealed that the New Patriotic Party failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its claims that there were foreign nationals on the current register.
- The NDC called for the arrest of the NPP’s running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for allegedly “fabricating falsehood” about Ghana’s voters’ register.
4. BNI arrests former NHIA boss
News of the arrest of the former NHIA boss, Sylvester Mensah by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) also surprised a lot of Ghanaians.
Sylvester Mensah was in the grips of the BNI over allegations of financial malfeasance at the Authority under his watch.
All his bank accounts were also frozen by the Financial Intelligence Centre after an ex-parte application sought by the centre at the court,
More here:
- The immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA Sylvester Mensah was held at the headquarters of the BNI for questioning.
- The Ghana Financial Intelligence Centre has frozen all the bank accounts of the former Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA ) Sylvester Mensah.
- The former Chief Executive of the NHIA, Sylvester Mensah, admonished the NDC members in the Dade Kotopon Constituency, to halt the attack on party offices following his interrogation by the BNI.
5. Brave Taxi driver
A taxi driver took on a very dangerous responsibility to stop two robbers who had just shot a lady.
He rammed his vehicle into the two who were on a motor bike, and for his bravery, got a presidential treat by meeting the Vice President at the Flagstaff House, and was rewarded with a brand new house by President John Mahama.
Popular super market, Koala also bought him a brand new saloon car.
More here:
- The Police say a Supervisor at the Cantonments Branch of the Koala Shopping Mall, masterminded a robbery attackon one of its staff on Saturday.
- Ghana’s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, commended a taxi driver who knocked down two armed robbers who attacked and robbed a lady of an undisclosed sum of money at Cantonments in Accra on Saturday morning.
- The taxi driver who used his car to prevent the two armed robbers involved in the Cantonments robbery incident from escaping is to be given a new car by the Management of Koala for his bravery.
- An Accra circuit court remanded the three men arrested in connection with a robbery involving a worker of Koala.
6. Ministerial reshuffle
- The former Chief of Staff, Prosper Douglas Bani, was named Minister Designate for Interior in President Mahama’s first reshuffle list for 2016.
- Minister for Food & Agriculture Franklin Fiavi Fiifi Kwetey, was nominated as the Minister of Transport to replace Dzifa Ativor, who resigned from her position on December 23, 2015 over the controversial GHc3.6 million bus re-branding scandal.
Government later asked Smarttys, the company at the centre of the bus branding scandal to refund over GHC1,5 million to the state.
7. Pneumococcal meningitis
The outbreak of the deadly Pneumococcal meningitis has put fear in Ghanaians. The disease which was first reported in the Brong Ahafo Region, has been recorded in six other regions. It has so far claimed nearly 40 lives.
More here:
- One more person has been confirmed dead in the Tain District of the Brong Ahafo Region following an outbreak of Pneumococcal meningitis.
- The Pneumococcal Meningitis disease which has so far killed nine people in Tain, Wenchi and Bruohan in the Brong Ahafo Region, has spread to Techiman, in the same region, killing 6 people there.
8. DKM and other dubious microfinance institutions
- Some disgruntled customers of one of the microfinance companies which had their license revoked by the Bank of Ghana (BoG), say they will petition the president, John Dramani Mahama, to help them retrieve their monies.
- President John Mahama ordered the Bureau of National Investigations to confiscate properties of DKM Microfinance as government rolls out plans to pay customers whose investments have been locked up.
9. British murder suspect
- A British man, Arthur Simpson-Kent suspected to have killed his girlfriend, an ex-soap opera star and her two children, fled to Ghana.
- The Government of Ghana confirmed the arrest of a British murder suspect, Arthur Simpson-Kent, in the country and is working on his extradition to the UK for trial.
10. CPP Congress
- Three other persons filed their nomination forms to challenge Samia Yaaba Nkrumah for the presidential slot of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) ahead of the November general elections.
- The Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP) started the vetting process of flagbearer aspirants for the congress.
- A flagbearer aspirant of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Samia Yaba Nkrumah, urged members of the party to choose her to lead the party in the November elections.
- One of the aspirants, Onzy Nkrumah, accused the party’s former Chairperson and her sister Samia Nkrumah, of masterminding his disqualification from the race.
- The Convention People’s Party (CPP) completed the vetting of all four presidential aspirants.
- The former General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ivor Greenstreet was shockingly elected as the flagbearer for the general elections in November.
11. Smarttys bus re-branding
- An amount of GHc1.9 million expected to be refunded to the state by Smarttys Management and Productions Limited, the company at the centre of the bus re-branding saga, has been reduced by over GHc400,000.
- The Minority spokesperson on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Joe Osei Owusu, described the decision by Government to review the amount from GHc1.9 million to GHc1.5 million, as another attempt to cover up rot.
12. PNC’s Ayariga forms new party
- The Electoral Commission is expected to present a provisional license to a new political party; the All Peoples Party (APC). The APC, founded by the former flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC) Hassan Ayariga, is expected to contest the November general elections.
The 10 most talked about stories in February
The month of love, February, did not start on a good note for Ghanaians who were already unhappy with hikes in fuel and utility prices in December 2015, and January 2016..
1. TRANSPORT FARES UP BY 15%
The transport operators, following a near 30% increase in fuel prices, also increased fares by 15% on February 1, 2016.
Several assurances from the government and meetings between them and the transport operators aimed at ensuring a reduction of the fares yielded no positive results.
The issue dragged for some few days after which no one bothered about it any longer.
Some headlines:
- Stakeholders in the transport sector finally increased transport fares by 15%. The new fares took effect from Monday February 1, 2016.
- The Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Moses Asaga accused thetransport unions of acting in bad faith, by side-stepping their negotiation plan to announce new fares.
2. MENINGITIS
The cases of Pneumococcal Meningitis and its related ailments which was first recorded in the Brong Ahafo Region further spread to other parts of the country.
About nine regions recorded various cases of other strains of meningitis, with nearly 100 lives lost.
Government later released an amount of GHc200,000 to boost efforts to control the spread of the disease in the country.
Some headlines:
- Laboratory results on four out of five suspected cases of meningitis recorded at the Ridge hospital in Accra tested negative.
- In a bid to curb the outbreak of the deadly meningitis disease in the country, the health ministry released additional GHc200,000 to tackle the situation.
3. CPP ELECTION OF IVOR GREENSTREET AS FLAGBEARER
The National Delegates Congress in the Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP) also took centre stage in the country’s political arena.
The congress, which was held was held on January 30, 2016, saw former General Secretary of the party, Ivor Greenstreet, who is physically challenged, emerge winner after crushing Samia Nkrumah, Bright Akwetey and Joseph Agyapong.
Ivor Greenstreet had 1,288 votes representing 64.7% while Samia had 578 representing about 29%.
Although the election was held in January, subsequent issues dragged into February.
There were accusations from the camp of Samia, who claimed that Ivor Greenstreet bribed delegates to vote for him; a claim he debunked.
Samia Nkrumah subsequently announced her decision to contest the Jomoro Parliamentary seat, which she lost after a first term before contesting for the party’s chairmanship slot and now her failed presidential bid.
Some headlines:
- Samia Yaba Nkrumah, daughter of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah accused Ivor Greenstreet of vote buying.
- CPP’s Presidential candidate, Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, commenced a nationwide “Thank you tour,” to show gratitude to the party’s delegates who elected him at the congress.
- Ivor Greenstreet told Citi News he will hold discussions with the party leadership on a possibility of wooing back the 2012 Flagbearer of the party, Dr. Abu Sakara.
- Defeated presidential aspirant, Bright Akwetey declared his support Mr. Greenstreet, going into the general elections in November this year.
- Ivor Greenstreet vowed to drag Samia Nkrumah and others before the party’s Disciplinary Committee to prove allegations of bribery against him.
4. ABUAKWA NORTH MP KILLED BY TEENAGER
Ghanaians woke up on February 9, 2016 to hear reports of the murder of Joseph Danquah-Adu, the Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa North constituency in the Eastern Region.
JB Danquah was allegedly killed by a 19-year-old at his residence at Shiashie in Accra where he lived with his family.
The teenager, Daniel Asiedu claimed he had gone to the house to steal but was caught by the MP red-handed, thus he stabbed the Abuakwa North legislator to death.
The suspect who has since been arrested is in the custody of the BNI pending further court appearances.
Some headlines:
- Scores of NPP stalwarts thronged the house of the MP for Abuakwa North, who was stabbed to death by unknown assailants.
- President Mahama said he was shocked by the death of his friend and Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu. President Mahama in a tweet said he “received news of my friend J.B. Danquah-Adu’s murder with shock. My heart goes out to his siblings, Frank etc, his wife & children.”
- The Accra Regional Police Command arrested a man suspected to have killed Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu.
- Former President John Agyekum Kufuor described the death of Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu as a loss to the party since he was a real political gem in the country’s politics.
- The MP for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, described the death of his colleague, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu as a contract killing.
5. PASTOR CHRIS IN TOWN
The Closure of about seven roads in the capital city Accra ahead of a planned all-night service by popular Nigerian preacher, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of the Christ Embassy Church got Ghana talking.
That was the first time Pastor Chris was visiting Ghana.
Thousands of Christians from across the globe showed up at the Black Star square for the all-night service held on Friday February 5, 2016 which was dubbed “Night of Bliss.”
Whereas some were happy about Pastor Chris’ visit to Ghana, others took to social media to vent their spleen over what they claimed is the preferential treatment which was given the Nigerian pastor as against his counterparts in Ghana.
Some headlines:
- The Ghana Police Service temporarily closed down some major roads in the national capital, Accra, ahead of a major crusade by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.
- Thousands of Christians were seated at the Black Star square hours ahead of renowned Nigerian pastor, Chris Oyakhilome’s crusade.
- Thousands of Christians thronged the Black Star square for Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s “Night of Bliss” crusade.
6. AGOGO FULANI CRISIS
The Agogo township in the Asante Akyim North Municipality of the Ashanti Region later in the month, came under the spotlight after the Member of Parliament for the area, Kwadwo Baah Agyemang, held a press conference to express the displeasure of the townsfolk about the continuous stay of Fulani herdsmen in the area.
The residents accused the nomads of destroying their crops with their cattle and killing their relatives who protest over the issues.
Security personnel made up of military and the Police were deployed to the area in a bid to evacuate some of the Fulani herdsmen from Agogo.
Some headlines:
- The MP for the Asante Akyem North Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Kojo Baah Agyeman led a demonstration against the Agogo traditional authorities for what he calls, their failure to sack Fulani herdsmen in the area.
- The outgoing Ashanti Regional Minister, Peter Anarfi Mensah promised to expel Fulani herdsmen from Agogo.
- Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Hannah Bissiw proposed the establishment of a permanent cattle ranch as the solution to the impasse between Fulani herdsmen and locals in the area.
- Parliament waded into the recurring issue of disagreements between Fulani herdsmen and residents of Agogo by requesting for an audio tape on which the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kofi Boakye, allegedly threatened to arrest the MP for the area, for inciting violent attacks against the Fulanis.
- A Security Analyst, Dr. Kwesi Aning described as xenophobic the massive public outcry against Fulanis in Agogo.
- A special joint taskforce of military and Police personnel was dispatched t0 Agogo, ostensibly to drive out a section of Fulanis from the area.
- The Agogo Youth Association (AYAS) banned all forms of political activities in the town following the disagreement between locals of the town and nomadic Fulani herdsmen.
- A group calling itself, the Agogo Youth Association (AYAS) petitioned the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to help find a lasting solution to the long-standing conflict between Fulani nomads and residents of Agogo.
7. TAFO CLASHES
Still in the Ashanti Region, the Tafo community in Kumasi took the media coverage away from Agogo.
The town was placed under curfew because of clashes between the Muslim community and the youth of the town over a piece of cemetery land.
The Muslims had accused the Traditional Council of taking over the cemetery land which belongs to them. They therefore erected a fence wall to secure the land in contention.
But the youth of the area did not take it lightly and allegedly pulled down the wall triggering the clashes. One Muslim died in the process, several others were injured while some churches and Mosques were attacked.
Several persons were arrested, with a dawn to dusk curfew placed on the community which was subsequently reviewed from 8am to 6pm.
Some headlines:
- The Ashanti Regional Security Council placed a curfew on the Tafo township following clashes between the Muslim Community and the traditional authorities. Scores of persons were wounded in the clashes.
- Academic work in some schools was affected at Tafo in the Ashanti Region, following violent clashes between indigenes and Muslim youth that left one dead and several injured.
- The Ashanti Regional Police Command later screened some 40 persons arrested in connection with the Tafo clashes.
- The MP for Asawase, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka also appealed to the Police to release the over-40 individuals arrested in connection with the recent riots at Tafo in the Ashanti Region.
- The Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) subsequently reviewed the curfew it imposed on the troubled Tafo township. The security council reduced the curfew hours to span between 8pm-4am.
- The National Chief Imam, Sheik Usman Nuhu Sharubutu expressed worry about the developments in Tafo.
- The mandate of the committee set up by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to mediate the dispute between the traditional council and the Muslim community in Tafo was extended.
8. EC’S ELECTION STEERING COMMITTEE IN LIMBO
The Electoral Commission came under fire in the month of February 2016 for including supposed NDC activists in its National Election Steering Committee.
Pro-opposition groups including the Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) and the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) demanded the removal of the 3 supposed NDC members or the dissolution of the election committee.
The Electoral Commission after and IPAC meeting later assured to look into the concerns raised over the composition of the committee.
Some headlines:
- The Electoral Commission on February 8, 2016 inaugurated an 18-member election steering committee ahead of this year’s election scheduled for November.
- Days after the committee was formed, pro-opposition pressure group, Let My Vote Count Alliance, wants the 10-member Elections Steering Committee to be dissolved, because in their view, the composition is politically biased.
- The Executive Director of the National Service Secretariat, Dr. Michael Kpessa Whyte, defended the initial selection of Dr. Karl Marx Arhin as the representative of the NSS on the National Election Steering Committee, saying nothing bars him as a citizen from holding that position even though he is a card bearing member of the NDC.
- The Acting Director of Public Relations at the Electoral Commission, Christian Owusu Parry rubbished media reports that the Electoral Commission (EC) has suspended the Election Steering Committee.
- The General Secretary of the incumbent NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said it was unfair to accuse the Electoral Commission of bias, following the setting up of the Election Steering Committee.
- The National Organiser of the NDC, Kofi Adams has said his party was not worried about the composition of of members of the adhoc committee formed by the Electoral Commission to supervise the November polls.
9. KINTAMPO ACCIDENT
A massive public outcry also greeted an accident that occurred near the Kintampo water falls involving a Metro Mass Transit bus and a truck fully loaded with tomatoes.
President John Dramani Mahama and Nana Akufo Addo, among others expressed condolences to the bereaved families and consoled those injured.
The death toll which was around 50 later rose to 61.
The accident ignited calls for safety on our roads.
Some headlines:
- Over 50 people died in an accident that occurred on the Tamale-Kintampo stretch of road in the Brong Ahafo Region on February 16, 2016.
- The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) constituted a team of professionals to investigate the fatal accident.
- President John Dramani Mahama who visited the injured person in the hospital announced a Ghc100,000 support for survivors of the accident.
- 48 victims of the Tamale-Kintampo road accident were later identified at the Kintampo mortuary.
- More lives could not be saved in the accident due to logistical challenges facing the Brong Ahafo Regional Ambulance Service.
- Initial investigations into the Wednesday night accident on the Kintampo-Tamale road killed 61 people revealed that the driver of the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) bus, caused the accident by overtaking wrongly in a sharp curve.
- The driver was also said to have overloaded.
- State transport operator, Metro Mass Transit (MMT), announced that it will foot the bills incurred by some passengers who survived the fatal accident.
10. THE ALMIGHTY STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS(ES):
President John Dramani Mahama was in Parliament on February 25 were he presented the State of the Nation Address.
He touched on all sectors of the economy and also brought to Parliament some beneficiaries of government projects and initiatives.
However, the NPP also held what it termed the “Real State of the Nation” address to counter what the president said.
The address done by the NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo sought to rubbish the achievements of the NDC.
Some headlines:
- President John Dramai Mahama said efforts made by his administration to fight against corruption clearly prove that the canker can be tackled.
- President Mahama touted his achievements in the power sector, saying about 80 percent of Ghanaians now have access to electricity.
- President John Dramani Mahama introduced what appears to be a novelty, by displaying for applause beneficiaries of his government’s various social intervention programmes, while delivering his State of the Nation address in Parliament.
- Flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has described President Mahama’s ‘evidence-based’ State of the Nation Address as an embarrassing exercise that shows mediocrity.
- Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, pooh-poohed President Mahama’s state of the nation address, saying he only told tales that did not reflect the real state of affairs.
The ten most talked about stories in March
1.Independence Day brochure errors
Highlights from Ghana’s 59th Independence Day Parade was not the display of military force or instances of school children fainting in the scorching sun but the numerous grammatical and typographical errors in the Independence Day brochure approved by Government.
President John Dramani Mahama later blamed what he called the “printer’s devil” for the error-ridden brochures that were distributed at the event held at the Black Star Square.
Photos of the grammatical and typographical errors went viral on social media which also had the “Coat of Arms” wrongly spelt among other errors.
As the narrative unfolded, a statement signed by the acting Director of the ISD, Francis Kwarteng Arthur on Monday, said his department authored the content of the brochure and thus accepted full responsibility for the mistakes.
He later confessed to forging ISD letterhead of the apology letter in a bid to get ahead of the backlash.
2.South African trio arrested
On March, national security arrested three former police officers of South African nationality who were reportedly training the security detail of the New Patriotic Party presidential candidate, Nana Addo Akufo-Addo.
The three South African ex-Police officers were in the country to train some young people in various security drills, including unarmed combat, weapon handling, VIP protection techniques and rapid response manoeuvres.
They were identified as; Major Ahmed Shaik Hazis (rtd); 54, Warrant Officer Denver Dwayhe; 33, and Captain Mlungiseli Jokani, 45, and they were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and unlawful training.
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) eventually repatriated the three South African ex-Police officers because they allegedly concealed the true reasons for their visit to Ghana.
The story however evolved to focus on the Head of Nana Addo’s security team, Captain (rtd) Edmund Koda, who was arrested in connection with the three South Africans.
3.Captain Koda brouhaha
Captain (rtd) Edmund Koda and the owner of the EL-Capitano Hotel Captain (rtd) Acquah was controversially re-arrested on the day charges against him had been dropped.
The 69-year old retired Captain of the Ghana Armed Forces, was held by the BNI for five days for his alleged role in the invitation of three ex-police officers.
Captain Koda was then released on health grounds after he was taken ill Read Full Story
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