Mahma Adam's killer before tribunal
Kumasi
(Ashanti Region) 14 September 2002- Opanin Kwame Afreh, President of the Asante
United Front, has advised the Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs,
Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey to be wary of people at the Castle who leaked vital
government information to the media without authority.
He said the
nefarious activities of such people were causing great embarrassment to the
government and undermining the authority of the Ministry of Information, the
official mouthpiece of the government.
Speaking in
an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi on Thursday, Opanin Afreh
cited the recent speculation in the media that the President was going to
reshuffle his Cabinet and the subsequent denial by the government, as causing
great embarrassment to the government.
He said it
was wrong for people in higher positions to reveal secrets to the media without
authority and urged the government to strengthen its internal security systems
at the Castle to prevent such leakages.
Opanin
Afreh said President Kufuor had shown the maximum level of tolerance and there
was the need for all Ghanaians to support the government to redeem the country
from its present economic woes.
He also
expressed concern about the utterances of some government officials, especially
Regional Ministers and District Chief Executives and appealed to the NPP
leadership to call them to order.
GRi…/
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 14 September 2002- Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Minister of Defence,
on Saturday said government was studying the report of enquiry into the Taifa
killings and the perpetrators would be punished.
Dr
Addo-Kufuor, who gave the assurance at the burial of three of the victims at
Taifa in Accra, said the government had provided 25 million cedis for the five
bereaved families, and appealed to the people to remain united.
Five
neighbourhood watchdog committee members were killed on 14 June by a joint
police-military patrol at Taifa. Two of them, Haruna Mohamed, a driver, and
Livingston Adigbli, a mason, were earlier on buried in accordance with their
tradition and customs.
Those
buried today were Nana Kwabena Asante, Chairman of the Watchdog Committee,
Yaovi Cephas, a carpenter, and Kweku Danquah, "alias Alan Cash."
Master Kofi Kyei and Obeng Akrofi, both members of the committee, who were also
part of the watchdog team, survived the attack.
Prior to
the incident, it was said that Mr Asante had a telephone call from a neighbour,
one Lizzy, that armed robbers were attempting to invade her residence and
needed assistance from the Watchdog Committee.
Mr Asante
was said to have sent two members of the committee to Lizzy's residence but
they returned because she told them that the gang had left. She, however,
called Asante again informing him that the robbers were back.
The
deceased then mobilised five committee members and boarded a taxi to assist
Lizzy but met a joint Police Military patrol, which mistakenly took them for
the alleged armed robbers and shot them dead. A committee of enquiry has since
submitted its report to the Attorney General pending prosecution. Dr
Addo-Kufuor made a personal donation of 500,000 cedis to the families.
GRi…/
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 14 September 2002- The Attorney General's Office has directed
that the officers, who were involved in the Taifa shooting incident in, which
five people were killed and two others were wounded should be prosecuted for
unlawful conduct.
A statement
signed and issued by Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Acting Minister of Interior on
Friday said the Office of the Attorney General had directed the Inspector
General of Police to cause a docket on the case to be built to facilitate an
expeditious trial of the suspects.
The
decision followed the completion of work of the Committee of Enquiry, which
investigated the circumstances that led to the deaths of the five persons of
the Taifa Neighbourhood Watch Committee and two other persons who were wounded
in the shooting incident involving a joint Police/Military Patrol.
The members
were on their way that day to rescue a neighbour, who had sent a distress
message of being attacked by alleged armed robbers when they met their untimely
deaths. The committee chaired by Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, Vice Chancellor,
University of Ghana, Legon submitted its reports to the government on the
incident, which took place on 13 June the statement said.
GRi…/
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Ho (Volta
Region) 14 September 2002- Mr Kofi Attor, MP for Ho-Central on Saturday, urged
members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to accept the amicable
settlement of the impasse between ex-President J. J Rawlings and Dr Obed
Asamoah, National Chairman, to ensure a united front to wrestle power from the
New Patriotic Party (NPP), in 2004 elections.
Inaugurating
the Volta Regional Youth Wing Working Committee (VRYWWC) of the NDC at Ho, he
described the resolution of the impasse as "divine" for their common
aspirations. He said the future of any political party depended on its youth
and urged them to re-double their efforts in re-building the party to ensure
victory in the next general elections.
Mr Attor,
who is also the Chairman of the International Relations Committee of the party,
said, "Disagreements on internal matters are part of the political game
provided they do not affect the ideology of the party" and appealed to
members not to fan them when they arose.
Mr Haruna
Iddrisu, National Youth Organiser of NDC, said adequate resources would be made
available to revive structures in the wards and constituencies to enable the
party to regain power.
He asked
the Regional Youth Wing to prepare a programme up to 2004 to be supported by
the party. Mr Iddrisu called on the youth to work hard, sacrifice and to be
committed since it was the only way to unseat the "non-performing NPP
government."
He blamed a
section of the media for undermining the democratic governance of the country
through "a consistently skewed and destructive reportage, which could
foment instability and draw the wheel of development backwards".
The media
are to keep government accountable and should not indulge in
"mainstream" politics in favour of any party. He urged the government
to be transparent and prudent in the privatisation of Ghana Airways and Ghana
Telecom.
Mr Modestus
Ahiable, MP for Ketu-North and Regional NDC Chairman called on the Regional
Minister, Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa to institute a probe into the activities of the
district assemblies, which he said had become "havens for financial
malfeasance". Assembly Members should scrutinise vouchers and all
transactions to unearth the problem, he added.
Mr Ahiable
criticised the government for refusing to give recognition to the good works of
the NDC and said the GET Fund, VAT, Road Fund, Export Development Fund and
other programmes were the "handiwork of NDC".
Mr Ludwig
Hlodze, Deputy National Youth Organiser, appealed to members of the party to
counter negative programmes of the ruling government. Mr Anthony Klutse,
Regional Youth Organiser, urged the youth to work hard to ensure the NDC
regained power. Some MPs, former District Chief Executives, and party activists
attended the function.
GRi…/
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Suhum
(Eastern Region) 14 September 2002- A 36 year-old driver whose vehicle was
involved in the crash at Suhum last Saturday, resulting in the death of the
Brong Ahafo
Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Kwadwo
Mahama Adam was arraigned before the Suhum Community Tribunal last Friday.
The driver,
Francis Fiaka pleaded no guilty to careless driving and negligently causing
harm and was remanded in custody until 16 September. Prosecuting, Police Chief
Inspector George Adu said Fiaka was driving a DAF tipper truck at a top speed
from Kumasi towards Accra. He said he made a wrongful overtaking and crashed
into the NDC Chairman's Nissan Pick-up, killing him instantly and injuring two
others seriously.
GRi…/
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