Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
March 25, 2008
THE Takoradi Port Health Facility is in a state of disrepair. Since its establishment in 1928, the facility has not seen any rehabilitation.
The windows and doors to some of the rooms are broken while many of the windows have no louvres enabling dust and rainwater to flow freely into the rooms.
The wiring system which was done in 1928 is weak as such anyone who comes into contact with the walls receive an electric shock anytime it rains.
Workers at the facility have described conditions under which they operate as very bad and called for urgent action to improve upon the facilities. They said apart from the broken windows and doors, whenever there was a storm, they were compelled to move into the corners of the room to avoid being drenched because of the lack of windows.
“Sometimes by the time we get to the office the next day after a heavy rain, the rooms would be full of water which we have to mop before we can work.
“During the dry season the wind blows dust into the offices. By the time we close from work the offices are already dirty,” they lamented. The Ministry of Health is responsible for the centre and the centre itself does not undertake any extra duties to generate income internally. Most of its activities are vaccinations against yellow fever.
Another problem the centre faces is the movement of officers. Sometimes the ship docks at about 2a.m. and officers have to be moved there to help the crew go through the vaccination process very late in the night at the peril of ther lives.
The facility plays a very important role in the enforcement of international safety regulations by ensuring that the crew of any ship that docks at the sport are well vaccinated against communicable diseases such as yellow fever. It also ensures that those aboard did not bring into the country diseases that could easily be transmitted to Ghanaians.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Takoradi NHIS faces serious problems
THE Takoradi Sub-Metro Mutual Health Insurance Scheme is facing serious accommodation problem. This has become an impediment to its smooth operations.
The scheme’s office is located on the second floor of a storey building on the Liberation Road. There is something fundamentally wrong with the stairs leading to the offices and in most instances clients especially the aged tumble on their way up to the office to transact business.
That aside, the registration office and the membership card issuing section of the scheme are not housed in the main building. They are located on the corridors that serve other offices in the same building.
When this reporter got to the offices of the scheme, the registration officer and clients who had gone there to register to join the scheme were transacting business in the scorching sun and sweating profusely.
When contacted, the Scheme Manager, Mr Kwamina Takyi Arthur, admitted the problems and said the biggest challenge facing them was the size of their office and its location.
He said the office was not spacious enough to contain all the staff and the teaming clients that besieged the premises daily.
He said there was the need to expand the office accommodation or acquire a more spacious apartment where they would have a place for their clients to sit comfortably while they waited for their turn to be registered.
“Even my registration officer and those who issue cards to the clients are outside the main building and when it rains work has to come to a standstill. During a sunny daythey have to keep shifting their desks from one spot to the other to enable them to attend to clients.
He said currently, the scheme paid more than GH¢7,000 as rent and the next bill was due in April and expressed the hope that the authorities would take into account the space constraints to enable them to secure a more spacious place for staff of the scheme.
“I feel so sad for the aged, who sometimes tumble just because they want to access our facilities or get registered for the first time. The problems are enormous and there is the need to find a solution to them. The only one we managed to take care of was the issue of people coming to the office to collect their Health Facility Attendance Cards, ” Mr Kwamina Takyi Arthur said.
He explained that when patients sent the cards to the designated health facilities in the metropolis, the card was not returned to the scheme immediately.
They were only returned when the service providers were submitting their claims when a member was required to present the card at his or her next visit.
“Therefore, we have designed a booklet for our clients for which 50Gp and which they can use throughout the year”, the scheme manager said.
Asked if there was any way they could ensure that the clients did not cheat the system when they paid the 50Gp he said “we have designed it in a way that one cannot duplicate it and even that the cost of doing the duplication alone is likely to be more than the cost of getting a new booklet”.
He said another reason why they had to design the new booklet instead of the card was that the policy holder did not need to return to the scheme’s office to pick another card, as the booklet would serve them throughout the year.
Mr Arthur said beneath the booklet, there was a strict instruction to the service providers to reject photocopies or forms that were not signed or stamped from the office of the scheme.
He took the opportunity to call on policy holders to read the instructions and directions contained in their membership cards to save them coming to the office when the answers to the questions they were looking for were right in the card.
He said the scheme members could attend more than 16 health facilities including the Takoradi Government Hospital, the Kwesimintsim, Effia-Nkwanta Regional, Essikado Polyclinic and the Seventh Day Adventist Negal Clinic Danvic and Helier Clinics etc. The health facilities were supported by more than 18 pharmacy and chemical shops in cases wh
The scheme’s office is located on the second floor of a storey building on the Liberation Road. There is something fundamentally wrong with the stairs leading to the offices and in most instances clients especially the aged tumble on their way up to the office to transact business.
That aside, the registration office and the membership card issuing section of the scheme are not housed in the main building. They are located on the corridors that serve other offices in the same building.
When this reporter got to the offices of the scheme, the registration officer and clients who had gone there to register to join the scheme were transacting business in the scorching sun and sweating profusely.
When contacted, the Scheme Manager, Mr Kwamina Takyi Arthur, admitted the problems and said the biggest challenge facing them was the size of their office and its location.
He said the office was not spacious enough to contain all the staff and the teaming clients that besieged the premises daily.
He said there was the need to expand the office accommodation or acquire a more spacious apartment where they would have a place for their clients to sit comfortably while they waited for their turn to be registered.
“Even my registration officer and those who issue cards to the clients are outside the main building and when it rains work has to come to a standstill. During a sunny daythey have to keep shifting their desks from one spot to the other to enable them to attend to clients.
He said currently, the scheme paid more than GH¢7,000 as rent and the next bill was due in April and expressed the hope that the authorities would take into account the space constraints to enable them to secure a more spacious place for staff of the scheme.
“I feel so sad for the aged, who sometimes tumble just because they want to access our facilities or get registered for the first time. The problems are enormous and there is the need to find a solution to them. The only one we managed to take care of was the issue of people coming to the office to collect their Health Facility Attendance Cards, ” Mr Kwamina Takyi Arthur said.
He explained that when patients sent the cards to the designated health facilities in the metropolis, the card was not returned to the scheme immediately.
They were only returned when the service providers were submitting their claims when a member was required to present the card at his or her next visit.
“Therefore, we have designed a booklet for our clients for which 50Gp and which they can use throughout the year”, the scheme manager said.
Asked if there was any way they could ensure that the clients did not cheat the system when they paid the 50Gp he said “we have designed it in a way that one cannot duplicate it and even that the cost of doing the duplication alone is likely to be more than the cost of getting a new booklet”.
He said another reason why they had to design the new booklet instead of the card was that the policy holder did not need to return to the scheme’s office to pick another card, as the booklet would serve them throughout the year.
Mr Arthur said beneath the booklet, there was a strict instruction to the service providers to reject photocopies or forms that were not signed or stamped from the office of the scheme.
He took the opportunity to call on policy holders to read the instructions and directions contained in their membership cards to save them coming to the office when the answers to the questions they were looking for were right in the card.
He said the scheme members could attend more than 16 health facilities including the Takoradi Government Hospital, the Kwesimintsim, Effia-Nkwanta Regional, Essikado Polyclinic and the Seventh Day Adventist Negal Clinic Danvic and Helier Clinics etc. The health facilities were supported by more than 18 pharmacy and chemical shops in cases wh
Women urged to participate in Local Governance
Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Tarkoradi
March 25, 2008
The Co-ordinator of Local Governance for the German Development Services (DED), Ms Annette Turman, has urged queens and other female traditional leaders to collaborate with district assemblies and assembly members to ensure the rapid development of their respective communities.
She said queens must work together with assembly members to present a united front and develop relevant programmes and projects to meet the needs and aspirations of the people.
“Today women across the country are articulating the needs of their people and making strides to ensure that their interests and aspirations are met,” Ms Turman said.
She was speaking at a two-day workshop for queens drawn from all parts of the Western Region, which had the theme: “Increasing Women’s Participation in Local Governance”, and was sponsored by DED, DANIDA, the Western Regional Co-ordinating Council, as well as the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
She said since they were an embodiment of motherhood, queens needed to play crucial roles in decision-making at the local level to promote the growth and development of women, children and vulnerable groups in the communities.
Ms Turman said there was no doubt that women, especially traditional rulers, had a vital role to play in the country’s socio-economic development, as well as the transformation of the rural economy.
She said since queens were leaders, there was the need to educate and empower them with the needed skills to enable them to reach out to their people and discharge their responsibilities effectively.
Ms Turman explained that for development to be made more relevant to the people, the grass roots should be included in the planning and implementation processes so that they could make the necessary input.
She urged the participants to educate their people on their socio-economic and political rights.
Ms Turman said working together with the local government administrators would not only ensure collective decision-making but also ensure probity and accountability.
The Western Regional Economic Planner, Mrs Olivia Opoku-Adoma, said apart from being partners in development, the queens also had a significant role to play in inculcating moral values among the youth and expressed the hope that the workshop would provide the participants with knowledge that would benefit their communities.
Mrs Opoku-Adoma, who is also the Regional Focal Person on HIV/AIDS, said the smooth implementation of projects greatly depended on how well at the grass roots appreciated such programmes.
March 25, 2008
The Co-ordinator of Local Governance for the German Development Services (DED), Ms Annette Turman, has urged queens and other female traditional leaders to collaborate with district assemblies and assembly members to ensure the rapid development of their respective communities.
She said queens must work together with assembly members to present a united front and develop relevant programmes and projects to meet the needs and aspirations of the people.
“Today women across the country are articulating the needs of their people and making strides to ensure that their interests and aspirations are met,” Ms Turman said.
She was speaking at a two-day workshop for queens drawn from all parts of the Western Region, which had the theme: “Increasing Women’s Participation in Local Governance”, and was sponsored by DED, DANIDA, the Western Regional Co-ordinating Council, as well as the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
She said since they were an embodiment of motherhood, queens needed to play crucial roles in decision-making at the local level to promote the growth and development of women, children and vulnerable groups in the communities.
Ms Turman said there was no doubt that women, especially traditional rulers, had a vital role to play in the country’s socio-economic development, as well as the transformation of the rural economy.
She said since queens were leaders, there was the need to educate and empower them with the needed skills to enable them to reach out to their people and discharge their responsibilities effectively.
Ms Turman explained that for development to be made more relevant to the people, the grass roots should be included in the planning and implementation processes so that they could make the necessary input.
She urged the participants to educate their people on their socio-economic and political rights.
Ms Turman said working together with the local government administrators would not only ensure collective decision-making but also ensure probity and accountability.
The Western Regional Economic Planner, Mrs Olivia Opoku-Adoma, said apart from being partners in development, the queens also had a significant role to play in inculcating moral values among the youth and expressed the hope that the workshop would provide the participants with knowledge that would benefit their communities.
Mrs Opoku-Adoma, who is also the Regional Focal Person on HIV/AIDS, said the smooth implementation of projects greatly depended on how well at the grass roots appreciated such programmes.
4 Robbers jailed 200 years
Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Sekondi
March 25, 2008
FOUR highway robbers who attacked passengers on board an Agona-Half Assini bus have been convicted and sentenced to a total of 200 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The Sekondi High Court, presided over by Mr Justice C. Hoeyenugah, found the four, two Ghanaians, a Nigerian and a Burkinabe, guilty of violent conduct and robbing the passengers in July last year and accordingly slapped them with the sentence.
While Mohammed Garriba, 30, the Nigerian, was jailed 60 years, the Burkinabe, Wadrago Adama, 22, was jailed 50 years, while the two Ghanaians, Ibrahim Issa, 22, and Salifu Musah, 23, were sentenced to 40 and 50 years, respectively.
Mr Justice Hoenyenugah said society disapproved of the violent conduct of the convicts, hence the punishment.
He expressed the hope that their punishment would also serve as a deterrent to other criminally-minded people in society.
Giving the facts of the case, the prosecutor, a Chief State Attorney, Ms Pat Linogo, said the four convicted persons, together with others who were currently at large, blocked a section of the Agona Nkwanta-Half Assini road with logs and succeeded in robbing the occupants of vehicles travelling on that route at that time of various sums of money and other valuables.
She said the police, upon receiving information on the activities of the robbers, mounted snap checks on the highway for them, adding that it was during a routine search on a passenger vehicle that Musah alighted from the vehicle and took to his heels. But he was captured after a hot pursuit.
Ms Linogo said Adama, Gariba and Issa were also arrested during the search on the vehicle and a black bag containing three wristwatches, clothes, mobile phones, one gold bracelet, one gold necklace and GH¢370.00 were found on them.
She said they were subsequently taken to the Kwesimintsim Police Station where one of the victims, who was then at the station to lodge a complaint, immediately identified Gariba as one of the people who had attacked them on the highway, while Salifu was also identified by two other victims.
The court later ordered the release of the stolen items to the victims.
Mr Justice Hoenyenugah described the investigator, Sgt Ben Baah of the CID Unit of the Western Regional Police Command, as a hardworking professional and suggested that he should be promoted for his efficient investigation of the case.
March 25, 2008
FOUR highway robbers who attacked passengers on board an Agona-Half Assini bus have been convicted and sentenced to a total of 200 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The Sekondi High Court, presided over by Mr Justice C. Hoeyenugah, found the four, two Ghanaians, a Nigerian and a Burkinabe, guilty of violent conduct and robbing the passengers in July last year and accordingly slapped them with the sentence.
While Mohammed Garriba, 30, the Nigerian, was jailed 60 years, the Burkinabe, Wadrago Adama, 22, was jailed 50 years, while the two Ghanaians, Ibrahim Issa, 22, and Salifu Musah, 23, were sentenced to 40 and 50 years, respectively.
Mr Justice Hoenyenugah said society disapproved of the violent conduct of the convicts, hence the punishment.
He expressed the hope that their punishment would also serve as a deterrent to other criminally-minded people in society.
Giving the facts of the case, the prosecutor, a Chief State Attorney, Ms Pat Linogo, said the four convicted persons, together with others who were currently at large, blocked a section of the Agona Nkwanta-Half Assini road with logs and succeeded in robbing the occupants of vehicles travelling on that route at that time of various sums of money and other valuables.
She said the police, upon receiving information on the activities of the robbers, mounted snap checks on the highway for them, adding that it was during a routine search on a passenger vehicle that Musah alighted from the vehicle and took to his heels. But he was captured after a hot pursuit.
Ms Linogo said Adama, Gariba and Issa were also arrested during the search on the vehicle and a black bag containing three wristwatches, clothes, mobile phones, one gold bracelet, one gold necklace and GH¢370.00 were found on them.
She said they were subsequently taken to the Kwesimintsim Police Station where one of the victims, who was then at the station to lodge a complaint, immediately identified Gariba as one of the people who had attacked them on the highway, while Salifu was also identified by two other victims.
The court later ordered the release of the stolen items to the victims.
Mr Justice Hoenyenugah described the investigator, Sgt Ben Baah of the CID Unit of the Western Regional Police Command, as a hardworking professional and suggested that he should be promoted for his efficient investigation of the case.
Western Naval Command patrols Cape Three Points
Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
Tuesday March 25, 2008
THE Western Naval Command has begun patrolling the shores of Cape Three Points where crude oil has been discovered in commercial quantities.
The patrol covers about 65 nautical miles off Cape Three Points in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region where the oil rig is located.
The patrol has become necessary following the invasion of the area by fishermen who use explosives and cast nets around the rig to trap fish at night, a practice which has resulted in the nets entangling the rig, delaying exploration activities and the subsequent increase in the daily cost of exploration.
The Daily Graphic gathered that the minimum daily cost of operations of the rig is $900,000 but the activities of the fishermen have escalated the cost to about $1.6 million a day.
Among the decisions taken by the Naval Command and stakeholders is to position naval officers on the rig, as well as patrol the area regularly.
The district assemblies along the coast where those fishermen come from are also to form advocacy groups, with the help of Kosmos Energy and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), to educate the people.
The Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Commodore Frank Daley, said the Navy would take pictures of the fishing canoes and boats which flouted the directives not to fish close to the rigs, adding that offenders would be arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.
Commodore Daley said it was the responsibility of the Ghana Navy, being the police on the sea, to ensure law and order on the sea.
“The law is that if you see a ship on special operations, you must pass by it,” he stated.
An official of Kosmos Energy gave an instance of a danger that nearly rocked the drilling last Wednesday. He said on that day, a number of fishermen tied their canoes to the rig which nearly caused it to shift from its original position.
The Corporate Affairs Manager of Kosmos Energy, Mr George Sarpong, said the activities of the fishermen in the proximity of the rig were also slowing down its operations.
He said Kosmos was much concerned with the safety of the fishermen, its workers on the rig and the rig itself.
The Base Manager of Kosmos Energy, Mr Michael Dickson, explained that everybody who went within 500 metres of the drilling rig was in a danger zone.
He said the rig had drilled about 2,000 metres below the sea level and that any accident caused by the activities of the fishermen would cause a threat to the lives of 130 workers who were on board the rig.
The Engineering Manager of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr Francis B. Ackah, said another drilling rig costing $600 million was expected to arrive at Cape Three Points soon.
He stressed the need to educate the fishermen on the importance of the oil drilling rig and the dangers their activities posed to both the workers and themselves for them to appreciate the enormity of the situation.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr A.E. Amoah, stressed the need for major stakeholders to be proactive and save the situation before any accidents occurred.
The Western Regional Chairman of the National Canoe Fishermen Association, Nana Conduah, said fishing activities in the area were a disgrace to the fisher folks.
He urged the security agencies and other authorities to apply the laws to serve as a deterrent to others.
Tuesday March 25, 2008
THE Western Naval Command has begun patrolling the shores of Cape Three Points where crude oil has been discovered in commercial quantities.
The patrol covers about 65 nautical miles off Cape Three Points in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region where the oil rig is located.
The patrol has become necessary following the invasion of the area by fishermen who use explosives and cast nets around the rig to trap fish at night, a practice which has resulted in the nets entangling the rig, delaying exploration activities and the subsequent increase in the daily cost of exploration.
The Daily Graphic gathered that the minimum daily cost of operations of the rig is $900,000 but the activities of the fishermen have escalated the cost to about $1.6 million a day.
Among the decisions taken by the Naval Command and stakeholders is to position naval officers on the rig, as well as patrol the area regularly.
The district assemblies along the coast where those fishermen come from are also to form advocacy groups, with the help of Kosmos Energy and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), to educate the people.
The Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Commodore Frank Daley, said the Navy would take pictures of the fishing canoes and boats which flouted the directives not to fish close to the rigs, adding that offenders would be arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.
Commodore Daley said it was the responsibility of the Ghana Navy, being the police on the sea, to ensure law and order on the sea.
“The law is that if you see a ship on special operations, you must pass by it,” he stated.
An official of Kosmos Energy gave an instance of a danger that nearly rocked the drilling last Wednesday. He said on that day, a number of fishermen tied their canoes to the rig which nearly caused it to shift from its original position.
The Corporate Affairs Manager of Kosmos Energy, Mr George Sarpong, said the activities of the fishermen in the proximity of the rig were also slowing down its operations.
He said Kosmos was much concerned with the safety of the fishermen, its workers on the rig and the rig itself.
The Base Manager of Kosmos Energy, Mr Michael Dickson, explained that everybody who went within 500 metres of the drilling rig was in a danger zone.
He said the rig had drilled about 2,000 metres below the sea level and that any accident caused by the activities of the fishermen would cause a threat to the lives of 130 workers who were on board the rig.
The Engineering Manager of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr Francis B. Ackah, said another drilling rig costing $600 million was expected to arrive at Cape Three Points soon.
He stressed the need to educate the fishermen on the importance of the oil drilling rig and the dangers their activities posed to both the workers and themselves for them to appreciate the enormity of the situation.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr A.E. Amoah, stressed the need for major stakeholders to be proactive and save the situation before any accidents occurred.
The Western Regional Chairman of the National Canoe Fishermen Association, Nana Conduah, said fishing activities in the area were a disgrace to the fisher folks.
He urged the security agencies and other authorities to apply the laws to serve as a deterrent to others.
Friday, April 18, 2008
MINISTRY MEETS FISHERMEN OVER CONFLICT IN W/R (PAGE 55)
(PUBLISHED ON APRIL 17)
Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
THE Western Regional Office of the Ministry of Fisheries has started an arbitration between aggrieved canoe fishermen and some Chinese fishermen who allegedly operate off the coast of the region, to avert imminent clashes between them.
This follows threats issued by the local fishermen to attack their Chinese counterparts for allegedly causing damage to their nets with their trawlers.
The fishermen, mostly from Half Assini, Dutch Komenda, Shama and Sekondi, alleged that apart from pair trawling, a process in which two trawlers drag nets between them to catch fish, the Chinese vessels employed unorthodox methods, such as the use of high voltage mercury bulbs, to attract and harvest fish, while at the same time threatening and intimidating the local fishermen on the sea.
At the Regional Office of the Ministry of Fisheries in Takoradi last Tuesday, local fishermen who had identified the said vessels belonging to the Chinese fishermen were called in, together with the operators of the trawlers, during which the parties involved agreed to resort to arbitration to resolve the issue.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the meeting, the Western Regional Director of Fisheries, Mr Alex Addo, said there were laws regarding what pertained in the marine world.
He said although his outfit was dedicated to resolving issues of such magnitude, the fishermen sometimes failed to give the right time and date on which such incidents took place, making it difficult for sanctions to be applied to the alleged perpetrators.
Mr Addo said the ministry was doing everything possible to engage the Navy to help intensify surveillance on the sea.
Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
THE Western Regional Office of the Ministry of Fisheries has started an arbitration between aggrieved canoe fishermen and some Chinese fishermen who allegedly operate off the coast of the region, to avert imminent clashes between them.
This follows threats issued by the local fishermen to attack their Chinese counterparts for allegedly causing damage to their nets with their trawlers.
The fishermen, mostly from Half Assini, Dutch Komenda, Shama and Sekondi, alleged that apart from pair trawling, a process in which two trawlers drag nets between them to catch fish, the Chinese vessels employed unorthodox methods, such as the use of high voltage mercury bulbs, to attract and harvest fish, while at the same time threatening and intimidating the local fishermen on the sea.
At the Regional Office of the Ministry of Fisheries in Takoradi last Tuesday, local fishermen who had identified the said vessels belonging to the Chinese fishermen were called in, together with the operators of the trawlers, during which the parties involved agreed to resort to arbitration to resolve the issue.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the meeting, the Western Regional Director of Fisheries, Mr Alex Addo, said there were laws regarding what pertained in the marine world.
He said although his outfit was dedicated to resolving issues of such magnitude, the fishermen sometimes failed to give the right time and date on which such incidents took place, making it difficult for sanctions to be applied to the alleged perpetrators.
Mr Addo said the ministry was doing everything possible to engage the Navy to help intensify surveillance on the sea.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
FARMER ARRESTED FOR SLASHING SUSPECT (PAGE 44)
Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu,Kwesimintsim
THE Kwesimintsim police have placed a 27-year-old farmer in custody for inflicting machete wounds on a 39-year-old man who had gone to the bush to collect mushrooms.
Robert Ansah, the suspect, was said to have accused his victim, Kwesi Ayah, of stealing game from his trap.
Ayah, who suffered deep machete wounds on both hands, neck, chest and forehead, was rushed to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital unconscious.
With blood stains on him, Ansah was said to have reported to the Kwesimintsim police that he had “butchered” a game thief.
The District Police Commander, Mr M. R. Sam, told the Daily Graphic that Ansah claimed that the purported thief engaged him in a “cutlass” fight after Ayah resisted arrest.
He said the police were surprised that Ansah did not sustain any injury from the fight and, therefore, decided to interrogate him further.
On his hospital bed, Ayah denied stealing any game.
He said he was returning home after collecting mushrooms when Ansah accused him of stealing his game.
Ayah said before he could let his sack down for a search, Ansah pulled a machete to slash his hands, head and neck.
He alleged that Ansah went to a nearby bush, brought a grasscutter for him (Ayah) to carry it to the town as a thief.
He said when he refused, Ansah started slashing him again and threatened to kill and bury him in the bush.
“I collected the game and on the way to the town I became unconscious and fell, I only became conscious to realise that I am in hospital.”
THE Kwesimintsim police have placed a 27-year-old farmer in custody for inflicting machete wounds on a 39-year-old man who had gone to the bush to collect mushrooms.
Robert Ansah, the suspect, was said to have accused his victim, Kwesi Ayah, of stealing game from his trap.
Ayah, who suffered deep machete wounds on both hands, neck, chest and forehead, was rushed to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital unconscious.
With blood stains on him, Ansah was said to have reported to the Kwesimintsim police that he had “butchered” a game thief.
The District Police Commander, Mr M. R. Sam, told the Daily Graphic that Ansah claimed that the purported thief engaged him in a “cutlass” fight after Ayah resisted arrest.
He said the police were surprised that Ansah did not sustain any injury from the fight and, therefore, decided to interrogate him further.
On his hospital bed, Ayah denied stealing any game.
He said he was returning home after collecting mushrooms when Ansah accused him of stealing his game.
Ayah said before he could let his sack down for a search, Ansah pulled a machete to slash his hands, head and neck.
He alleged that Ansah went to a nearby bush, brought a grasscutter for him (Ayah) to carry it to the town as a thief.
He said when he refused, Ansah started slashing him again and threatened to kill and bury him in the bush.
“I collected the game and on the way to the town I became unconscious and fell, I only became conscious to realise that I am in hospital.”
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