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Tag: Axim

  • Youth in Axim hit the streets over locked-up stadium project

    Youth in Axim hit the streets over locked-up stadium project

    The youth of Axim, located in the Nzema-East Municipality of the Western Region, have given President Akufo-Addo a two-week ultimatum to make a 95% completed stadium accessible for use.

    The facility, promised to the community, has been locked and left to deteriorate for years, with various parts, including VVIP areas and goalposts, falling into disrepair.

    During a demonstration covered by Channel One News, Jonas Kwabutey, leader of the Axim Youth, voiced the frustrations of the local youth who have been deprived of a place to play.

    He highlighted that the new seats and ceiling installed at the stadium are rotting away due to years of abandonment. The youth have given the President until July 29th to address the issue or face further protests.

    “We have no place to play, and the new facilities are all rotting due to neglect,” said Kwabutey. “We submitted a petition two months ago, but it was ignored by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Eric Essien.”

    Kwabutey expressed the community’s disappointment, noting that their previous efforts to address the issue had been met with silence.

    “We submitted our petition two months ago, and the MCE didn’t call us or even show up. We requested a police escort for our demonstration, but we were ignored.”

    The youth leader emphasized the urgency of their demands: “They promised to construct a multipurpose sports stadium for us. Now, if you enter the stadium, you can see that everything is rotting. They’ve done the VVIP section, mounted the goalposts, installed all the necessary facilities, but locked it up. We are determined to demonstrate.”

    “Our message is clear: whether the stadium is officially commissioned or not, it must be used. We have given a deadline of July 29th.”

    In response, MCE Eric Essien acknowledged the youth’s concerns and expressed sadness over the state of the stadium. He revealed that he has contacted the Regional Minister to resolve the issue.

    “I’ve reached out to the Regional Minister to get the contractor, who abandoned the site due to non-payment, to return by August,” Essien stated.

  • Rainfall to be experienced in Accra, Axim, other areas today

    Rainfall to be experienced in Accra, Axim, other areas today

    The Ghana Meteorological Service (GMet) has observed a rain-bearing cloud over the eastern coast of Ghana.

    This storm is expected to produce rain of varying intensity over Ghana’s marine space and is anticipated to bring cloudiness over coastal cities.

    Rain of varying intensities will be experienced in a few coastal areas. Additionally, a separate band of clouds over the west coast will induce cloudiness over parts of the western and central regions, with pockets of rain expected.

    Areas to be affected are Ada, Keta, Sege, Abor, Adidome, Sogakope, Prampram, Tema, Teshie, Accra, Nzulezu, Nkroful, Essiama, Axim and Takoradi.

  • Police tactics from 1990 cannot be applied in 2023 – Peter Toobu

    Police tactics from 1990 cannot be applied in 2023 – Peter Toobu

    The recent assaults on some security officials, according to the Wa West MP, pose a threat to national security.

    Peter Lanchene Toobu, therefore, wants an immediate review of the mode of operations.

    According to him, the world keeps evolving and citizens have become more complex and sophisticated hence the policing technique that was implemented previously cannot be used in recent times to achieve the same results.

    “The 1990 policing style cannot be used in 2023 and we need to invest heavily in police training, we need to invest heavily in police recruitment and positive vetting.

    “It tells us as a people that we should begin to look at police public relations, that as the police institution grows in numbers, heading towards 50,000, and as the citizens become more complicated and sophisticated we need to think differently,” he said in an interview on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday.

    His comment comes in the wake of the Police arresting six persons last Friday for attacking a police officer at the Wono Akotsosu snap checkpoint in the Kumawu District of the Ashanti Region.

    This follows a similar attack on two police personnel by illegal miners at Axim in the Western Region.

    As result, the legislator who was also a former police officer says that the criteria for police recruitment must also be reviewed.

    He mentioned that most of the current police officers are underserving of the job but are only there to get paid monthly and earn a living.

    “You cannot get people uniforms to wear when they have not gone through positive vetting, it will come back to bite us, there are many people in the uniform and they are not supposed to be in uniforms, but they’re looking for a job to earn a salary at the end of the month.”

    “The passion to wear the uniform is not there, they want a salary, if you’re looking for money and you find yourself wearing any of the uniforms, you’re out there for danger, and you’re actually a danger to the security system that you serve and that’s not the right thing to do,” Mr Toobu added.

    Separate attacks on some police and military personnel in different parts of the country have become a concern.

  • Axim galamsey kingpin is my small boy – A Plus discloses

    Axim galamsey kingpin is my small boy – A Plus discloses

    Activist and politician, Kwame Asare Obeng alias A Plus has disclosed that he has an affiliation with wanted Galamsey lord, Kwame Ani.

    He said he has asked galamsey fugitive, Kwame Ato Ani Asare to hand himself over to the police.

    According to A Plus who described Ani as his “small boy,” he has entreated him to report himself to the police for investigations to continue into the claims made against him by the police.

    “Kwame is my small boy. I posted the video. I have been in contact with Kwame Ani from the beginning of the issue and I posted the video because I wanted everyone to see the video.

    “We assessed everything and came to the conclusion that if we don’t share the video, it will become the everyday issue where a person is labelled an armed robber, shot and killed by the police with no questions asked. So we wanted to make it a national issue.

    “I spoke to Kwame and I asked him to hand himself over to the police. I told him I will come to Axim myself and pick him and hand over to the police,” he said.

    While condemning the actions of Ani, A Plus stated that the police are equally to blame for creating a criminal out of him as a result of Ani’s work with the police as an informant.

    “Kwame is a stubborn boy… but his stubbornness as a result of him being empowered by the police. When we talk about the police nobody should defend them. Only a few people in the police are good people, the majority of them are bad nuts. Just two years ago, a police officer involved in an accident was found to be transporting a stash of weed. It was in this same country that a police killed his colleague on bank escort duty because they wanted to steal the money..,” he stated.

    Kwame Ato Asare Ani is the name currently dominating the media space in Ghana following events around a viral video in which he and a group of men were captured in a heated confrontation with some police officers.

    The police have since labeled him as the leader of a criminal group and has put him on a wanted list even though Ani, speaking to some media houses from a hideout has denied the allegation.

    A viral video showed a gang of men confronting a group of police officers for purportedly seeking to arrest their leader.

    Identified in a statement later released by the police as Kwame Ani Asare, the gang leader accused the police officers of seeking to arrest him after paying them a bribe.

    Amidst threats, one of the officers is seen in the video going on his knees to plead with the gang leader.

    The Ghana Police Service said it received a report on March 28, 2023, that a group of officers from the Axim Police Command had been attacked by the gang in question.

    The police stated that it conducted an operation which has led to the arrest of four members of the gang.

    However speaking to some media houses from a hideout, the gang leader said he was no robber but an informant who has been collecting money from small scale miners and delivering to the police.

    According to him, the attempt by the police to arrest him is on the back of his refusal to hand over some GH ₵100,000.00 he had collected from a galamsey site to the police.

    He noted that the refusal to hand over the money is a result of the police cheating him out in various previous deals, the arrest of four members of the gang while the leader, Kwame Ani remains at large and on their wanted list.

  • Ex-police capo defends officers who knelt and begged Axim gang leader

    Ex-police capo defends officers who knelt and begged Axim gang leader

    Retired Superintendent of Police, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has described as smart a police officer seen in a viral video pleading with a civilian during a standoff in a forest in Axim.

    Amid some public criticisms of the act, the former senior police officer said the officer in the video acted smart by kneeling to plead with the man who has been identified as the leader of a robbery gang in the Axim area.

    “One person I would really applaud is the police officer who knelt down to beg in the video. Kwame Asare is claiming that he took money from him and was attempting to arrest him after that. As to whether the officer indeed took money or not that has been referred to the Police Professional Standards Bureau and that is to be determined,” he said.

    Mr Toobu who was speaking in an interview with Neat FM monitored by GhanaWeb emphasised that the job of policing can put one in an instance where pulling a trigger to defend oneself is not an ideal solution.

    “One thing about the police job is the fact that being in the uniform and wielding a gun does not make you all conquering. There are instances where even though the gun is fully loaded you will not have the braveness to pull the trigger. The one thing that gives you that braveness to shoot and kill a human is when you are doing the right thing but if you find yourself in a difficult situation where shooting can even cause a mob to attack you, use your common sense. When I saw the officer holding the gun and kneeling to beg I said he was smart,” he stated.

    The viral video in question shows a gang of men confronting a group of police officers for purportedly seeking to arrest their leader.

    Identified in a statement later released by the police as Kwame Ani Asare, the gang leader accused the police officers of seeking to arrest him after paying them a bribe.

    Amidst threats, one of the officers is seen in the video going on his knees to plead with the gang leader.

    The Ghana Police Service said it received a report on March 28, 2023, that a group of officers from the Axim Police Command had been attacked by the gang in question.

    The police stated that it conducted an operation which has led to the arrest of four members of the gang while the leader, Kwame Ani remains at large and on their wanted list.

    However speaking to some media houses from a hideout, the gang leader said he was no robber but an informant who has been collecting money from small scale miners and delivering to the police.

    According to him, the attempt by the police to arrest him is on the back of his refusal to hand over some GH ₵100,000.00 he had collected from a galamsey site to the police.

    He noted that the refusal to hand over the money is a result of the police cheating him out in various previous deals.

    But speaking in the interview with Neat FM, Peter Toobu Lenchene who is now the Member of Parliament for Wa West maintained that the officer was smart in begging the gang members.

    “When you look at the environment, they were surrounded by guys who are into galamsey and I always say that galamsey is a violent business. You can go and never return; the pit can swallow you up and so people who are into galamsey do not fear guns or death,” he stated.

    “Don’t ever play a hero if you find yourself in a situation where your strength and knowledge cannot help you. That is a very smart to do and proves that you are a better security person,” the MP added.

  • Adib Saani demands investigation into police intimidation by alleged unlicensed miners

    Adib Saani demands investigation into police intimidation by alleged unlicensed miners

    Adib Saani, a security expert, has questioned the Ghana Police Service’s narrative of what happened in the viral video that showed several police officers being ridiculed by some alleged illegal miners at Axim in the Western region.

    In the video the miners were heard accusing the police of extortion.

    However, in a statement said at least four people have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the attack on police personnel at Axim adding that the allegation of extortion is also being investigated.

    The police further added that efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects.

    Speaking on Star Midday News with Naa Dedei Tetteh on Monday April 3, 2023, Mr. Saani requested that a holistic investigation be carried out into the incident.

    “Whether the perpetrators know each other or not but from my observation I can see there is some degree of familiarity and it appears as though they also know each other and have been doing business together. But what type of business I wouldn’t be able to tell.

    “That is why it is critical that we don’t constrict the investigation but we investigate the police as well to ascertain exactly what they were doing there and whether it was officially sanctioned and whether indeed they were given money or not,” Adib Saani stated.

    Meanwhile, a section of the public are also calling for an independent investigation rather than the police investigating the issue.

  • I am an informant for the Axim Police, not a criminal – Suspect at large reveals

    I am an informant for the Axim Police, not a criminal – Suspect at large reveals

    Kwame Ato Asare Ani, one of the suspects involved in the Axim Police attack and currently on the run, has broken his silence over the incident which threatens his freedom.

    On April 2, 2023, the Police announced that it has arrested four members of a gang that attacks its officers of the Axim Division Police Patrol team on March 9, 2023.

    “Kojo Siah, Emmanuel Mensah, Maxwell Cudjoe and Agyabu Haruna Dissawu were arrested on March 28, 2023, and have been remanded into custody following their first hearing in court. However, the prime suspect – Kwame Ato Asare Ani is currently at large,” the Police statement noted.

    The details of the incident are blur as per the police, a video footage that has come to its attention, showed its officers “pleading with members of the gang” while being accused of extortion.

    Reacting to being a wanted man, Kwame Ato Asare Ani, stated that he is the victim in the story.

    Speaking with UTV in the local parlance, he explained that the contention with the police officers started when he decided to withhold payment from the officers after taking delivery of GHC100,000 from some illegal miners.

    This is because he collects monies from the galamsey operators in the area for the police in exchange for protection from criminals.

    Ani stated that he was given GHC20,000, one-fifth of the total amount, therefore felt cheated.

    In the viral video, the young man presumed to be Kwame is heard saying that “I had showed you the site and was telling you to drop me off, but you said you were taking me away.”

    “You were coming for money from the site and we have paid you. So why were you want to still keep me in the vehicle? Where were you taking me?” he quizzed.

    In the viral video, the group of men heckled the police officers and attempted to take away a police gun.

    According to the Police, a search conducted at the residence of Asare Ani led to the retrieval of three pump-action shotguns.

    “Also, two machetes and eight BB refilled cartridges were retrieved from the suspect’s unregistered Honda CRV vehicle. Other items retrieved from the suspects include two live refilled BB cartridges and one unregistered motorbike,” the statement added.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Video: Gang attacks Axim Police officers over claim of extortion

    Video: Gang attacks Axim Police officers over claim of extortion

    A viral video on social media has documented how a group of young men attacked officers of the Axim Police Division patrol team on March 9, 2023.

    In the video, a man who appears to be the leader of the group said the police officers failed to let them go after showing them the location of a certain site.

    He also claimed that he had paid the police officers some amount of money when they met at a “site”. It is unknown what site is being referred to.

    The group blocked the road with motorbikes to prevent the police car some of its members were in from moving. After that, they intimidated the officers, threatening to hit a female officer.

    They managed to also take possession of the gun a male police officer was carrying.

    Further development

    The attention of the Police was drawn to this incident and a team began investigation.

    It was until about three weeks after investigation commenced that four members of the gang, Kojo Siah, Emmanuel Mensah, Maxwell Cudjoe and Agyabu Haruna Dissawu were captured. They were arrested on March 28, 2023 and have remanded into custody after appearing before a court of law.

    In a press statement dated April 2, the Police administration noted that the issue of “extortion” by the officers has been referred to the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSP) for investigation.