News
2 jailed for human trafficking
An Accra Circuit Court presided over by Ms Christina Cann has sentenced Ibrahim Keita, a 31-year-old Mali national and Baba Isaah, a 31-year-old Ghanaian to six and five years in prison respectively in hard labour for conspiracy to commit crime.
Ibrahim Keita, the first accused was further sentenced to six years in hard labour for human trafficking.
The presiding judge said the sentences of Ibrahim Keita were to run concurrently.
Delivering her ruling, the judge, Ms Cann indicated that the offence was premeditated and considering the inhuman treatment meted out to the victims and the increasing incidence of human trafficking, there was the need to apply the law in order to curb the practice.
Presenting the facts to the court, Detective Chief Inspector Agatha Abena Asantewaa, said in April, 2020, the Agona Swedru Police Divisional Criminal Investigation Division had intelligence report that the two convicted persons had conspired to sell one Maxime Sassou, a 20-year-old Beninoi.
She told the court that the convicts had initially wanted to sell the victim at GHC 150.000 but later increased the price to GHC 160.000 due to the depreciation of the Cedi.
The prosecutor said having settled on the price to transact the business, Ibrahim Keita lured the victim into Ghana on June 26, 2020, on the pretext that he had secured a job for him to clean, even at the time the land borders were closed as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19.
She said when the victim arrived in the country, the convicts persons arranged with the buyer to receive the money at Swedru in exchange of the victim. In the process, they were arrested when the purported buyer introduced himself as a policeman.
The prosecution witness said investigations revealed that Ibrahim Keita travelled to Benin and met with the victim who was assisting the aunt to operate a restaurant and discussed with him about his intention to double his money but the victim could not assist him.
Later, Keita befriended Baba Isaah at Agona Nyarkrom in 2019 and discussed with intention to double his money which the second convict tried all means to assist him but was not successful.
Chief Inspector Asantewaa told the court that since he was in dire need of money, Ibrahim Keita contrived another plan to sell a human which the second convict agreed to the plan.
By Raymond Kyekye
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
