Coup Plotters Grabbed!

The suspect with their weapons

The Central Regional Police Command yesterday arrested two Ivorians and a Ghanaian in a Cape Coast hotel, linking them to an alleged plot to stage a coup d’état in Cote d’Ivoire.

The two Ivorians (names withheld), who are being held for further investigations, are a 27-year-old ex-sergeant in the Ivorian Army and a 40-year-old cook, who is a politician. Their Ghanaian counterpart is a 73-year-old former naval Captain with the defunct Black Star Line, Nana Emisa Mbrah.

Nana Mbrah, according to the police, is a native of Cape Coast.

Addressing the media on Monday, the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Stephen Andoh Kwofie, said on September 13, 2012, his outfit had information about two Ivorians lodging in a hotel in Cape Coast and who had held several meetings to procure arms to destabilise the Ouattara government.

According to him, it was agreed at the meeting by the two Ivorians that the arms they needed from their suppliers should include rifles and ammunition.

The police then organised some men in the early hours of Friday, September 14, 2012 to swoop on the hotel by disguising themselves as suppliers of the said arms.

He noted that the Ivorians requested that the disguised police should allow them to inspect the arms and ammunitions which were stocked in a vehicle.

The police commander added that during the inspection, the police quickly arrested the suspects and retrieved five AK 47 rifles and an assortment of ammunition.

Upon interrogation, the two Ivoirians mentioned the name of their Ghanaian counterpart, Mr. Mbrah, who is alleged to have a stake in the coup attempt.

DCOP Andoh Kwofie revealed that a thorough investigation and surveillance had been mounted nationwide to track down the remaining suspects.

From: Desmond K. Dapaah, Cape Coast

NPP Warns NDC Over Attacks

Mr. Ekow Sarbah addressing some youths of YPM

A pressure group affiliated to the Cape Coast branch of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has sent a strong warning to the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Central Region, asking it to advise its supporters to refrain from tearing and removing NPP posters.

The group, which called itself the 'Young Patriotic Movement' (YPM), also threatened to stage a massive demonstration against the diabolic tactics of the NDC should their leadership fail to call the supporters to order.

Addressing a press conference organised yesterday at the Oguaa NPP campaign office, the vice chairman and spokesperson for the group, Emmanuel Ebo Sarbah disclosed that YPM was worried about the tactics the NDC had employed to cause mayhem in the Cape Coast North and South constituencies.

According to him, some NDC supporters had begun destroying posters of NPP, the party's flags in town, attacking die-hard NPP sympathisers during keep-fit exercises as well as attacking their members who paste the posters.

'What the NDC supporters are doing is a recipe for chaos and it needs to stop now else it will lead to a serious battle between the two parties,' he stated.

He revealed that a loyal member of YPM, Justina Monko, was seriously beaten by an NDC sympathiser at Ntsin, a suburb of Cape Coast, while on a keep-fit exercise last week Sunday.

He noted that this plus other four cases of assault had since been reported to the Central Regional Police Command for the necessary action to be taken.

Mr Sarbah stated that since the NPP, together with its leadership, believed in democracy and rule of law, they would not take the law into their own hands, but seek appropriate measures to salvage the situation.

'Our flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo has made it clear that he would not want to govern a divided country. We will not do anything to contradict that but help him achieve his vision for Ghana's progress,' he said.

Mr. Sarbah however urged the Central regional executives of the NDC to run a clean, issue-based campaign devoid of insults as the NPP was doing.

He was optimistic that once the NPP had credible presidential and parliamentary candidates in the region, they would not engage themselves in any election violence but rather go down to grassroots members to sell the party's policies and ideologies and canvass for more votes for victory in the December elections.

From: Desmond K. Dapaah, Cape Coast

NPP Warns NDC Over Attacks

‘Stop Tearing Party Posters’ – ASP Otumi

Mr. Ekow Sarbah adrressing YPM memebers. Insert : C/R Police Commander

 

 

THE CAPE Coast Metropolitan Police Command has sent a warning to residents in Cape Coast and its environs to stop destroying posters belonging to various political parties posted in the metropolis.

Metropolitan Crime Officer, ASP Edward Otumi gave the warning in response to many reports his outfit had received from various political parties that their posters were being destroyed  by unknown people.

He noted that since nobody was above the law, the police would not leave any stone unturned to arrest those culprits. “The police are ever ready to assist any political party to undertake smooth electioneering campaigns,” he added.

ASP Otumi however appealed to the leadership of the various political parties in the metropolis to also advise their supporters to behave themselves when they embark on keep-fit events.

DAILY GUIDE had observed that in the Cape Coast constituency, most of the opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) posters had been torn-off and replaced with that of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), creating a lot of tension in the  area.

In a report in the October 6, 2012 edition of the paper headlined “NPP warns NDC over attacks,’ a pressure group affiliated to the Cape Coast branch of the NPP warned the NDC leadership  in region to advise their supporters to refrain from ripping off the party’s posters.

The Young Patriotic Movement (YPM) had also threatened to stage a massive demonstration against the devilish tactics of the NDC members should their leadership fail to call them to order.

YPM also urged NDC central regional executives to run clean issues-based campaigns devoid of insults just as the NPP was doing.

 From: Desmond K. Dapaah, Cape Coast

Elmina Salt Industry Makes Headway

Nana Konduah addressing stakeholders

The Elmina Salt Industry (ESI), a local Ghanaian salt mining company in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality of the Central region has improved its exports to neighbouring countries.

ESI dissociated itself from Palmbross Salt Company (PSC) in August 1983 since leaders of Elmina wanted to manage the company for the betterment of the people in the area.

Addressing stakeholders of ESI at the Edina Omanhene’s Palace as part of the company’s 7th Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Vice Board Chairman of ESI, Nana Kodwo Eduakwa V disclosed that when he became chairman in 2004, a total debt of GH¢150,000,000 loan which was contracted by the previous board with an accumulated interest of GH¢93,567,253.56 had been paid with the company not owing anybody.

He added that payment of six retired employees which amounted to GH¢37,445.00 as end of their service benefit has also been paid.

Nana Eduakwa noted that irrespective of the climatic conditions that salt producers have faced over the years ESI from January 2004 increased its production of 22,093 maxi bags to 35,595 maxi bags in December 2009 and recorded a decline of 29,940 as at December 2010.

He attributed the fall in production levels in 2010 to the axle load policy initiated by francophone countries, especially Burkina Faso and Niger which he said was their main market.

According to him, the governing board of ESI had to adjust the price of salt to encourage local sales which moved them up from GH¢79,383.40 in 2004 to GH¢210,631.93 in 2010.

In order to boost salt production, Nana Eduakwa hinted that a CP 15 iodine sprayer has been purchased while the World Food Programme has also donated an iodized machine worth USD 30,000 to ESI.

He therefore appealed to residents of Elmina and workers in the salt industry not to accused the Paramount Chief of Elmina, Nana Kodwo Conduah IV and members of the board of  misappropriating the profit of ESI, adding that the Edina Traditional Council obtains only GH¢10 pesewa on every sack which is used to run the affairs of the council.

Nana Eduakwa however charged the workers to work hard to boost the image of the industry, a situation he said will help the company earn more profit.

The Paramount Chief of Edina Traditional Council, Nana Kodwo Conduah IV however thanked the board for the great work.

A new committee was formed to steer the affairs of the industry which included traditional chiefs and other opinion leaders in the area.

The executives elected Nana Kodwo Eduakwa V and Ebow A. Folson as the new Board Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively while Supi Acheampong, Nana Afedu Annan, Supi Gyaapia and Nana Ato were selected to occupy executive positions to support the chairman in all his endeavours.

Nana Conduah therefore charged them to emulate what their predecessors did to project the image of the industry.

From Desmond K. Dapaah, Elmina

Killer Couple Remanded

Alhaji and wife

A Nigerian couple, Alhaji Rashid Bello and his wife, Fauzia Bello who were arrested on Thursday at Amosima near Moree in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese (AAK) district of the Central Region with human parts, was on Friday remanded into police custody by a Cape Coast Magistrate Court.

The couple shed uncontrollable tears when the magistrate, Kwame Ohemen Mensah remanded them to re-appear on September 22, 2011.

Their plea was not taken by the court.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE after court proceedings on why the court did not take the plea of the couple, Detective Chief Inspector Samuel Adjei disclosed that it was because the case was fresh. He said the police only wanted the court to be aware that the couple was in their custody for investigations.

Presenting the facts, Chief Inspector Francis Kingsford Ockom said in the early hours of Thursday September 1, 2011, the Cape Coast Metropolitan Crime Officer, ASP Emmanuel Tetteh and his outfit, having carried surveillance in the area following information about a number of illegal activities there, decided to carry out a swoop which led to the arrest of the couple.

He disclosed that the police, upon searching the couple’s house at Amosima, found a big ‘Ghana must go bag’ full of human parts in their private toilet.

The police further searched the washroom and realized that there was a strange stench emanating from the toilet.

Fauzia Bello, upon sensing danger, tried to divert the attention of the police by flashing the toilet but was stopped and a covered bucket full of human parts was retrieved.

Chief Inspector Ockom explained that during interrogation on how they came by the human parts, the two refused to give the police a concrete reason, leading to their arrest.

He indicated that the body of the deceased had since been deposited at the Central Regional Morgue for autopsy, investigation and identification.

When questioned on their nationality by Justice Ohemen Mensah, the two said they were not from Nigeria as they told the police but from the Volta Region.

However, information gathered by DAILY GUIDE revealed that Alhaji Bello’s father is a Nigerian while the mother hails from Togo but was born and raised at Kojokrom near Kpando in the Volta Region.

The wife, Fauzia Bello, also hails from the Northern Region but had lived with the husband in the Volta Region.

From Desmond K. Dapaah, Cape Coast