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23 Chaplains from Ghana attend 8th IPCA World Conference in Bangkok
One hundred and twenty-three Chaplains of the International Prisons Chaplains Association (IPCA) have participated in a world conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
The conference, the eighth in the series, which was under the theme “A Living Hope,” and lasted six days, drew participants from 33 countries, including 23 Chaplains from Ghana.
David Buick, the immediate past President of IPCA, said “prisoners need to have hope for the future, and that Chaplains have the responsibility to instill hope in them through the gospel.”
He said chaplains would be doing the world a great disservice if they failed in that regard; hence they should take their work seriously.
The President of IPCA, Marie-Louise of Sweden, asked members to be more committed to supporting and advocating for better care and love for prisoners around the world. He asked them not to relent in their efforts in soliciting continued support for inmates.
The conference, which serves as a platform for networking among IPCA members, is also used to strategise and evaluate IPCA’s impact on prisoners and its consultative status at the United Nations.
A declaration made at the end of the conference called on governments all over the world to apply all aspects of the “Nelson Mandela Rules” and the “Bangkok Rules” for the treatment of women prisoners and non-custodial measures for women offenders and massive prison reforms.
It also urged churches to promote restorative justice and the necessity for communities to see to the needs of victims and embrace inmates.
It asked them to form ‘Ministry of Prison Chaplains’ to enable them to welcome prison inmates to provide care and support for them.
The National Chairman of IPCA, Ghana, Rev. Steve Mensah, said members would be engineered to provide more support for prison inmates, their families and prisons in general.
Some IPCA, Ghana members at the conference included Dr Mrs Angela Mensah, Dr Evans Ekanem, Apostle James Tetteh, Rev. Philip Ahodokpo, Chaplain Gifty Mussey, Pastor Adjei Sowah, Elder Gyenny-Mensah, and Bishop Asiedu-Peprah.
By Raymond Kyekye
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A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
