Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kuntanase
THE Bosomtwe Rural Bank has presented a number of items, valued at GH¢700 (¢7 million), towards the National Farmers Day celebration in the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District in the Ashanti Region.
They included 15 pairs of Wellington boots, 12 radio sets, two spraying machines and a box of machetes.
Mr Felix Owusu-Achiaw, the Supervising manager of the bank, who made the presentation at Kuntanase, the district capital, said the bank was proud to associate itself with the Farmers Day over the years.
He said it had been the culture of the bank to make donations during the event, and explained that this had been so because farmers constituted a respectable portion of the bank’s customer base.
Mr Owusu-Achiaw stated that the development of agriculture was very crucial to building the economy of the district and the nation as a whole, and promised that such assistance would continue in future.
The Presiding member of the Assembly, Mr Albert Marfo, who received the items on behalf of the assembly, thanked the bank for the gesture and expressed the hope that others would emulate their example.
The District Co-ordinating Director , Mr C.K. Dondieu, said the bank’s donation would go a long way to enrich the awards.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
'STREAMLINE SELECTION OF DELEGATES IN ASHANTI' (Page 14)
Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi
A MEMBER of the Vice President’s campaign team, Mr George Ayisi-Boateng, has denied media reports linking him to the new party allegedly formed out of the NPP the Reform Patriotic Party in Kumasi.
He told the Daily Graphic in an interview that “ I am nowhere near that party and I do not know of the members or where they meet”.
“ I only hear of Kwabena Agyei aka Bambata, the leader of that party, but for close to two years now I have never met him”, he said.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng, who is a founding member of the NPP, said the last time he met Mr Adjei was at the Ashanti Regional NPP conference some two years ago where Adjei vied for the regional secretary position while he(Boateng) went for the regional chairmanship position but both of them were defeated.
“I can’t even remember the last time that we spoke on phone”, Mr Ayisi-Boateng stressed, and that the allegation linking him to the party was to create disaffection in the NPP and particularly the vice president’s campaign team.
He maintained that his resolve to support Alhaji Aliu Mahama to become the next president was irrevocable. “ In any case all Ghanaians know that I am for Aliu and no one else”.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng said Alhaji Aliu was on his way to becoming the NPP presidential candidate and eventually the next President of Ghana because the party had seen him as the most marketable candidate for the NPP.
He described the Vice-president as “ all in unity” and expressed the confidence that the delegates who constituted the kingmakers for the December congress would vote for him.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng stated that so far the campaign had been very encouraging as all pointed to a victory for the Vice-president.
He said Alhaji Mahama had proved to be a great team player, having supported President Kufuor to achieve a lot for the nation over the approximately seven years administration of the NPP.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng said with the Vice-president as the flag bearer of the NPP, “we will be selling an already-made product”.
He said, it was time that “we reward our heroes while they live and Aliu’s selflessness, loyalty and commitment to the government and mother Ghana should be appreciated by all”.
“We should see him as the centre piece for total unity for the nation”, he added.
A MEMBER of the Vice President’s campaign team, Mr George Ayisi-Boateng, has denied media reports linking him to the new party allegedly formed out of the NPP the Reform Patriotic Party in Kumasi.
He told the Daily Graphic in an interview that “ I am nowhere near that party and I do not know of the members or where they meet”.
“ I only hear of Kwabena Agyei aka Bambata, the leader of that party, but for close to two years now I have never met him”, he said.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng, who is a founding member of the NPP, said the last time he met Mr Adjei was at the Ashanti Regional NPP conference some two years ago where Adjei vied for the regional secretary position while he(Boateng) went for the regional chairmanship position but both of them were defeated.
“I can’t even remember the last time that we spoke on phone”, Mr Ayisi-Boateng stressed, and that the allegation linking him to the party was to create disaffection in the NPP and particularly the vice president’s campaign team.
He maintained that his resolve to support Alhaji Aliu Mahama to become the next president was irrevocable. “ In any case all Ghanaians know that I am for Aliu and no one else”.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng said Alhaji Aliu was on his way to becoming the NPP presidential candidate and eventually the next President of Ghana because the party had seen him as the most marketable candidate for the NPP.
He described the Vice-president as “ all in unity” and expressed the confidence that the delegates who constituted the kingmakers for the December congress would vote for him.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng stated that so far the campaign had been very encouraging as all pointed to a victory for the Vice-president.
He said Alhaji Mahama had proved to be a great team player, having supported President Kufuor to achieve a lot for the nation over the approximately seven years administration of the NPP.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng said with the Vice-president as the flag bearer of the NPP, “we will be selling an already-made product”.
He said, it was time that “we reward our heroes while they live and Aliu’s selflessness, loyalty and commitment to the government and mother Ghana should be appreciated by all”.
“We should see him as the centre piece for total unity for the nation”, he added.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
KMA OWES CONTRACTORS ¢60bn (Page 29)
Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi
THE Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is facing a huge challenge in finding money to pay the private waste management contractors it owes to the tune of a whopping ¢60 billion, accumulated unpaid monthly bills over the past year.
The irregular payment has resulted in a poor performance by the contractors, as refuse continues to pile up in many areas of the metropolis.
People continue to litter indiscriminately as the assembly struggles to get the necessary funds to pay the contractors, while insufficient equipment holding by the contractors also contribute to the problem.
These came up during a meeting between officials of the assembly and a delegation of the Alliance Francais Development (AFD) of France, in connection with the Urban Development Project currently underway in Kumasi. The French government, through AFD, is the major financier of the projects which include construction of roads and a wood village at Sokoban.
Giving the state of solid waste management and sanitation situation in Kumasi, the Deputy Director of Waste Management at the KMA, Mr Prosper Kotoka, said the assembly needed about ¢1.3 billion a month for the proper management of its final disposal waste disposal facilities at Dompoase and Ohwim.
The metropolis generates 1,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, and to achieve a total collection coverage, the assembly requires about ¢2.7 billion to collect 30,000 tonnes of solid waste every month, besides the cost of maintaining the disposal facilities.
Touching on the decision to use solid waste to generate electricity, Mr Kotoka said the assembly had signed a memorandum of understanding with a Canadian company to prepare the grounds for the start of the project.
Mr J.O. Amoo-Gottfried, the Urban Roads Engineer in Kumasi, who was briefing the meeting on road development in the metropolis, said only about 20 per cent of the road network in Kumasi was in good condition.
However, he said, there had been a significant increase of about 60 per cent in road network within the last six years which had made many areas accessible.
The metropolitan engineer noted that every effort was being made to improve on the conditions of the 20 per cent of good roads, but said that had been hampered by financial challenges.
He said the introduction of the traffic management policy had considerably reduced the volume of traffic in the central business district of the city.
Mr Amoo-Gottfried stated that the government was in the process of paying compensation to property owners whose property would be affected by the construction of the outer ring road project from Angola Junction to Anoka Timber Gardens.
The compensation was estimated at ¢260 billion.
The Finance Officer of the KMA, Mr Asare Bediako, noted that the assembly had continued to rely mostly on its share of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund to finance most of its projects because of inadequate revenue generated internally.
For some time now, the assembly had generated just 26 per cent of its budgeted internally generated funds.
That was why measures, including the revaluation of property in the metropolis had been initiated to maximise revenue generation from internal sources.
He noted that data collection was key in maximising revenue generation and the assembly was taking it seriously. Mr Bediako said private revenue collectors had been engaged to collect revenues from the central market and other markets in the metropolis.
This is a pilot project which would be replicated in other areas when it becomes successful.
THE Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is facing a huge challenge in finding money to pay the private waste management contractors it owes to the tune of a whopping ¢60 billion, accumulated unpaid monthly bills over the past year.
The irregular payment has resulted in a poor performance by the contractors, as refuse continues to pile up in many areas of the metropolis.
People continue to litter indiscriminately as the assembly struggles to get the necessary funds to pay the contractors, while insufficient equipment holding by the contractors also contribute to the problem.
These came up during a meeting between officials of the assembly and a delegation of the Alliance Francais Development (AFD) of France, in connection with the Urban Development Project currently underway in Kumasi. The French government, through AFD, is the major financier of the projects which include construction of roads and a wood village at Sokoban.
Giving the state of solid waste management and sanitation situation in Kumasi, the Deputy Director of Waste Management at the KMA, Mr Prosper Kotoka, said the assembly needed about ¢1.3 billion a month for the proper management of its final disposal waste disposal facilities at Dompoase and Ohwim.
The metropolis generates 1,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, and to achieve a total collection coverage, the assembly requires about ¢2.7 billion to collect 30,000 tonnes of solid waste every month, besides the cost of maintaining the disposal facilities.
Touching on the decision to use solid waste to generate electricity, Mr Kotoka said the assembly had signed a memorandum of understanding with a Canadian company to prepare the grounds for the start of the project.
Mr J.O. Amoo-Gottfried, the Urban Roads Engineer in Kumasi, who was briefing the meeting on road development in the metropolis, said only about 20 per cent of the road network in Kumasi was in good condition.
However, he said, there had been a significant increase of about 60 per cent in road network within the last six years which had made many areas accessible.
The metropolitan engineer noted that every effort was being made to improve on the conditions of the 20 per cent of good roads, but said that had been hampered by financial challenges.
He said the introduction of the traffic management policy had considerably reduced the volume of traffic in the central business district of the city.
Mr Amoo-Gottfried stated that the government was in the process of paying compensation to property owners whose property would be affected by the construction of the outer ring road project from Angola Junction to Anoka Timber Gardens.
The compensation was estimated at ¢260 billion.
The Finance Officer of the KMA, Mr Asare Bediako, noted that the assembly had continued to rely mostly on its share of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund to finance most of its projects because of inadequate revenue generated internally.
For some time now, the assembly had generated just 26 per cent of its budgeted internally generated funds.
That was why measures, including the revaluation of property in the metropolis had been initiated to maximise revenue generation from internal sources.
He noted that data collection was key in maximising revenue generation and the assembly was taking it seriously. Mr Bediako said private revenue collectors had been engaged to collect revenues from the central market and other markets in the metropolis.
This is a pilot project which would be replicated in other areas when it becomes successful.
Monday, December 3, 2007
KOTOKO PAY BIGGEST SALARIES (GRAPHIC NSEMPA ...Back Page)
Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi
KUMASI Asante Kotoko Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Sylvester Asare-Owusu, has released what appears to trigger debate in football circles in the days ahead, claiming that the club pays the biggest salaries to players in the country.
On the face value, the statement, which he made in an interview with the Graphic Nsempa, appeared debatable, but the two-time club boss insisted that he was stating a fact that could not be denied by anybody.
“That is why we are the most attractive club in the country today”, Mr Asare-Owusu told the Graphic Nsempa in an interview.
He did not give specific figures to support his claim but said his administration had reviewed salaries upward by fifty percent, which has brought the figure far ahead of ant other club in the country.
Unvestigations made by the Graphic Nsempa , however, revealed that the lowest paid player in Kotoko takes home not less than ¢1 million a month
Mr Asare-Owusu indicated that, during his first coming as chairman of the club, his management made a significant upward review of salaries which contributed in a long way in motivating the players to win the league for the first time after a ten-year drought.
Asare-Owusu who spoke to this paper on the preparations the club had made towards the league, which kicked off over the weekend, said manageent had done everything to bring the club to shape and ready to do battle in the season.
“Motivation has been very high. I think that we have done enough to ginger the players to bring smiles to the face of the teeming supporters “, he said.
The build-up to the premier league saw Kotoko engaging in perhaps the biggest ever pre-season training programme ever witnessed by any club in the country.
They were in Germany for close to two weeks, toured Sudan and played a match in Cote D’Ivoire to fine-tune for the season.
Some critics of Kotoko and specifically the present management argued that the clubs they competed with in Germany were mediocre sides whose pedigree could were not enough to bring the best out of the training programme.
But officials of Kotoko rebutted such arguments saying the training programme was not a competition where the club had to play strong sides. They were only meant to prepare the team for the upcoming season by using the matches to correct the rough edges in the team.
“It was the first time that a team has undertaken such a massive training programme in Ghana and we have to reap the benefits”, he said.
What benefits? Winning the league in the first place and going ahead to annex the CAF Confederations Cup, after deciding finally to participate in the African Competition.
Kotoko had not seen any continental silverware since they last won the then Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in 1983. The last twelve years had also seen them winning the national league just once, that was during the first period of Sylvester’s administration.
The fans are therefore very thirsty of continental honours and this season presents them with the opportunity to restore their continental image.
Kotoko are relying on a blend of old and new faces to do battle in the season. Old faithful like Arhin Duah, Francis Akwaffo, Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor , Kwame Obeng Darko, Ofosu Amoah and goalkeeper Isaac Amoako have joined forces with fresh faces including Kwabena Yaro, Kwadwo Poku, come-back midfielder Stepehn Oduro, Francis Coffie, Prince Amponsah and Kwadwo Poku.
Attempts to bring on board former international Baba Adamu “Amando” seemed to have hit a snag after the GFA Status Committee ruled that he could not be registered because Kotoko failed to advance reasons as to why he should be registered after the close of the first phase of the player rehistration exercise.
Kotoko have appealed against the decision and wereawaiting the outcome, which they believed would rescind the earlier decision.
What Kotoko is calling for is fair officiating to ensure that the league is won on merit. “We expect our referees to be fair to all because our league must grow”, the CEO said.
END
KUMASI Asante Kotoko Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Sylvester Asare-Owusu, has released what appears to trigger debate in football circles in the days ahead, claiming that the club pays the biggest salaries to players in the country.
On the face value, the statement, which he made in an interview with the Graphic Nsempa, appeared debatable, but the two-time club boss insisted that he was stating a fact that could not be denied by anybody.
“That is why we are the most attractive club in the country today”, Mr Asare-Owusu told the Graphic Nsempa in an interview.
He did not give specific figures to support his claim but said his administration had reviewed salaries upward by fifty percent, which has brought the figure far ahead of ant other club in the country.
Unvestigations made by the Graphic Nsempa , however, revealed that the lowest paid player in Kotoko takes home not less than ¢1 million a month
Mr Asare-Owusu indicated that, during his first coming as chairman of the club, his management made a significant upward review of salaries which contributed in a long way in motivating the players to win the league for the first time after a ten-year drought.
Asare-Owusu who spoke to this paper on the preparations the club had made towards the league, which kicked off over the weekend, said manageent had done everything to bring the club to shape and ready to do battle in the season.
“Motivation has been very high. I think that we have done enough to ginger the players to bring smiles to the face of the teeming supporters “, he said.
The build-up to the premier league saw Kotoko engaging in perhaps the biggest ever pre-season training programme ever witnessed by any club in the country.
They were in Germany for close to two weeks, toured Sudan and played a match in Cote D’Ivoire to fine-tune for the season.
Some critics of Kotoko and specifically the present management argued that the clubs they competed with in Germany were mediocre sides whose pedigree could were not enough to bring the best out of the training programme.
But officials of Kotoko rebutted such arguments saying the training programme was not a competition where the club had to play strong sides. They were only meant to prepare the team for the upcoming season by using the matches to correct the rough edges in the team.
“It was the first time that a team has undertaken such a massive training programme in Ghana and we have to reap the benefits”, he said.
What benefits? Winning the league in the first place and going ahead to annex the CAF Confederations Cup, after deciding finally to participate in the African Competition.
Kotoko had not seen any continental silverware since they last won the then Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in 1983. The last twelve years had also seen them winning the national league just once, that was during the first period of Sylvester’s administration.
The fans are therefore very thirsty of continental honours and this season presents them with the opportunity to restore their continental image.
Kotoko are relying on a blend of old and new faces to do battle in the season. Old faithful like Arhin Duah, Francis Akwaffo, Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor , Kwame Obeng Darko, Ofosu Amoah and goalkeeper Isaac Amoako have joined forces with fresh faces including Kwabena Yaro, Kwadwo Poku, come-back midfielder Stepehn Oduro, Francis Coffie, Prince Amponsah and Kwadwo Poku.
Attempts to bring on board former international Baba Adamu “Amando” seemed to have hit a snag after the GFA Status Committee ruled that he could not be registered because Kotoko failed to advance reasons as to why he should be registered after the close of the first phase of the player rehistration exercise.
Kotoko have appealed against the decision and wereawaiting the outcome, which they believed would rescind the earlier decision.
What Kotoko is calling for is fair officiating to ensure that the league is won on merit. “We expect our referees to be fair to all because our league must grow”, the CEO said.
END
KESSBEN FC WIN 2-0 (Back Page)
Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi
KESSBEN F/C launched themselves into the premiership with a sweet 2-0 victory over Sekondi Hasaacas at the Anane Boateng Stadium at Abrankese.
Proving how deadly they could be at home, the debutants, sporty young players, scored both goals in the second half to send the respectable home fans cheering.
In the 49th minute Kessben’s striker, Isaac Danquah, was brought down in the penalty box. The referee awarded a penalty which was expectly converted by Daniel Addo.
KESSBEN F/C launched themselves into the premiership with a sweet 2-0 victory over Sekondi Hasaacas at the Anane Boateng Stadium at Abrankese.
Proving how deadly they could be at home, the debutants, sporty young players, scored both goals in the second half to send the respectable home fans cheering.
In the 49th minute Kessben’s striker, Isaac Danquah, was brought down in the penalty box. The referee awarded a penalty which was expectly converted by Daniel Addo.
'CHECK ABUSE OF PROCUREMENT LAW' (Page 47)
Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi
THE Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCCG) has called on the Procurement Board to check what it described as the blatant abuse of the procurement law by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
It said the Act was not being strictly adhered to as most of MDAs were not complying with open tendering as the law prescribed, but rather resorted to selective tendering only.
At the opening of the second national annual general meeting of the ABCCG in Kumasi last Thursday, the president of the association, Mr Samuel Obeng, alleged that some officials were manipulating the system in favour of their preferred contractors.
The AGM was on the theme: “Sustaining the Building Construction Industry” and was attended by delegates from all the regions of the country.
Mr Obeng said the association was not against foreigners entering the industry but the practice of registering their business as local contractors to compete for small projects like KVIPs and classroom buildings at the district level was distasteful.
Mr Obeng called for an amendment to the Investment Code to raise the $10,000 or $50,000 fee which a foreigner must respectively pay to be able to enter into a joint venture with a Ghanaian company or operate individually.
The ABCCG president expressed concern about the way wood products were used on building projects and said this was a threat to the country’s forests.
He, therefore, suggested the use of metal frames to reduce wood consumption.
He also complained about the delay in payment of completed projects and called on the government to do something about it.
In an address read on his behalf by Mr E. A. Owusu-Ansah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, said the government had over the years committed huge sums of money to the construction of many projects.
“Yet you will agree with me that members of your association, as service providers faced with low capacity in skills, absence of technical personnel in contract management, non-availability of plant and equipment, high cost of construction, have found it difficult to live up to expectation, often cutting corners leading to shoddy work,” he said.
Alhaji Saddique indicated that the government had to continue to use huge sums of money to undertake rehabilitation works as a result of the shoddy work.
He challenged the local contractors to reorganise themselves to be able to compete outside the country.
The minister suggested the establishment of joint ventures and mergers by member companies and firms so that they could pool resources to establish formidable companies.
Again, the minister called for the establishments of management boards for limited liability companies.
Alhaji Saddique disclosed that his ministry had programmed to complete the revision of the existing Government of Ghana Conditions of Contract (PINK FORM) to bring it to the modern standards and terms to address the numerous shortcomings in the construction industry.
He assured the association that the government was taking steps to minimise the number of days necessary to honour payment certificates.
The Asamponghene, Nana Asampong Boakye III, who represented the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, reiterated the Asantehene’s concern over the construction of houses in water courses and called on chiefs and the local authorities to find a solution to the problem.
THE Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCCG) has called on the Procurement Board to check what it described as the blatant abuse of the procurement law by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
It said the Act was not being strictly adhered to as most of MDAs were not complying with open tendering as the law prescribed, but rather resorted to selective tendering only.
At the opening of the second national annual general meeting of the ABCCG in Kumasi last Thursday, the president of the association, Mr Samuel Obeng, alleged that some officials were manipulating the system in favour of their preferred contractors.
The AGM was on the theme: “Sustaining the Building Construction Industry” and was attended by delegates from all the regions of the country.
Mr Obeng said the association was not against foreigners entering the industry but the practice of registering their business as local contractors to compete for small projects like KVIPs and classroom buildings at the district level was distasteful.
Mr Obeng called for an amendment to the Investment Code to raise the $10,000 or $50,000 fee which a foreigner must respectively pay to be able to enter into a joint venture with a Ghanaian company or operate individually.
The ABCCG president expressed concern about the way wood products were used on building projects and said this was a threat to the country’s forests.
He, therefore, suggested the use of metal frames to reduce wood consumption.
He also complained about the delay in payment of completed projects and called on the government to do something about it.
In an address read on his behalf by Mr E. A. Owusu-Ansah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, said the government had over the years committed huge sums of money to the construction of many projects.
“Yet you will agree with me that members of your association, as service providers faced with low capacity in skills, absence of technical personnel in contract management, non-availability of plant and equipment, high cost of construction, have found it difficult to live up to expectation, often cutting corners leading to shoddy work,” he said.
Alhaji Saddique indicated that the government had to continue to use huge sums of money to undertake rehabilitation works as a result of the shoddy work.
He challenged the local contractors to reorganise themselves to be able to compete outside the country.
The minister suggested the establishment of joint ventures and mergers by member companies and firms so that they could pool resources to establish formidable companies.
Again, the minister called for the establishments of management boards for limited liability companies.
Alhaji Saddique disclosed that his ministry had programmed to complete the revision of the existing Government of Ghana Conditions of Contract (PINK FORM) to bring it to the modern standards and terms to address the numerous shortcomings in the construction industry.
He assured the association that the government was taking steps to minimise the number of days necessary to honour payment certificates.
The Asamponghene, Nana Asampong Boakye III, who represented the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, reiterated the Asantehene’s concern over the construction of houses in water courses and called on chiefs and the local authorities to find a solution to the problem.
COP FACES TRIAL FOR ALLEGED MURDER (Page 3)
Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi
POLICE Constable Dennis Aryee of the Akomadan Police is to be arraigned before an Offinso Court today for the alleged murder of a suspected illegal timber operator on the Nkenkensu-Akomadan road last Wednesday night.
Constable Aryee, who fled his station after allegedly killing Yaw Agyen on a moving KIA cargo truck, was picked up last Friday and has since been in police custody.
He will face a preliminary charge of murder, pending further investigations into the case.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Seth Oteng, who is the acting Ashanti Regional Police Commander, told the Daily Graphic that Constable Aryee’s arrest would help with investigations into the case.
He denied reports in a section of the electronic media that the police had put up a GH¢2,000 reward for anyone who provided information that would lead to the arrest of Constable Aryee.
“We have arrested him already and any such media reports are not true,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police station at Akomadan has bounced back to life after last Thursday’s attack by a section of the youth of Nkenkansu who were protesting against the killing of Agyen, a native of the area.
The necessary maintenance work has been effected on the furniture, windows and doors at the station which were destroyed by the mob.
The Daily Graphic learnt at Akomadan over the weekend that the security reinforcement that was sent there from Offinso had been withdrawn because of the peace that had returned to the area.
The police said no arrests had been made in connection with the attack but investigations were going on to bring the perpetrators to book.
They warned that they would not take kindly to any unwarranted attacks and would deal with any one caught.
It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic of Friday, November 30, 2007, carried the story of the shooting of the illegal operator and the subsequent attack on the police station, which resulted in the destruction of property.
The deceased was among a group that had allegedly entered a teak plantation to fell teak.
While transporting the logs to Akomadan on a KIA truck, Constable Aryee, who was on guard duty at a construction company, signalled the driver to stop but he refused.
The policeman opened fire from his AK 47 rifle and hit Agyen, who was then sitting on top of the logs. He died on top of the vehicle but the driver sped off until he got to Akomadan where the body was brought down.
The constable went back to the police station to deposit his weapon and went into hiding, refusing to disclose the shooting incident.
POLICE Constable Dennis Aryee of the Akomadan Police is to be arraigned before an Offinso Court today for the alleged murder of a suspected illegal timber operator on the Nkenkensu-Akomadan road last Wednesday night.
Constable Aryee, who fled his station after allegedly killing Yaw Agyen on a moving KIA cargo truck, was picked up last Friday and has since been in police custody.
He will face a preliminary charge of murder, pending further investigations into the case.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Seth Oteng, who is the acting Ashanti Regional Police Commander, told the Daily Graphic that Constable Aryee’s arrest would help with investigations into the case.
He denied reports in a section of the electronic media that the police had put up a GH¢2,000 reward for anyone who provided information that would lead to the arrest of Constable Aryee.
“We have arrested him already and any such media reports are not true,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police station at Akomadan has bounced back to life after last Thursday’s attack by a section of the youth of Nkenkansu who were protesting against the killing of Agyen, a native of the area.
The necessary maintenance work has been effected on the furniture, windows and doors at the station which were destroyed by the mob.
The Daily Graphic learnt at Akomadan over the weekend that the security reinforcement that was sent there from Offinso had been withdrawn because of the peace that had returned to the area.
The police said no arrests had been made in connection with the attack but investigations were going on to bring the perpetrators to book.
They warned that they would not take kindly to any unwarranted attacks and would deal with any one caught.
It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic of Friday, November 30, 2007, carried the story of the shooting of the illegal operator and the subsequent attack on the police station, which resulted in the destruction of property.
The deceased was among a group that had allegedly entered a teak plantation to fell teak.
While transporting the logs to Akomadan on a KIA truck, Constable Aryee, who was on guard duty at a construction company, signalled the driver to stop but he refused.
The policeman opened fire from his AK 47 rifle and hit Agyen, who was then sitting on top of the logs. He died on top of the vehicle but the driver sped off until he got to Akomadan where the body was brought down.
The constable went back to the police station to deposit his weapon and went into hiding, refusing to disclose the shooting incident.
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