News
327,948 insurance stickers captured on database—Justice Ofori
A total of 327,948 newly issued insurance stickers have been captured on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) as of May 19 this year, the Commissioner of Insurance, Justice Ofori has said.
The NIC in a statement on the update on the MID and efforts to clamp down on fake insurance operators, copied to the Ghanaian Times, said it was working assiduously to clamp down the activities of fake insurance operators to save lives and properties.
The NIC’s Motor Insurance Database (MID) was implemented in January this year with the objective to curb the menace of some unscrupulous people issuing fake motor insurance to unsuspecting members of the general public and thus endangering lives and property.
The statement said some motorists could not access insurance when their vehicles were involved in a crash due to the purchase of fake insurance.
“The reality dawns on these motorists only when involved in accidents and innocent third party victims of such accidents are left to take care of themselves without any compensation,” the statement said.
It said in spite of the MID, some unscrupulous entities and individuals continued to issue fake license.
“So far the Ashanti Region leads in the number of arrests made and the lenses of the Regulator are being zoomed in to their last pixels across the country in order to fish out these miscreants to rid our roads off the perpetrators of this phenomenon,” the statement said.
“The fight by the NIC to eliminate fake motor insurance continues”, he assured the general public and encouraged them to check the validity of their insurances using the short code *920*57# and follow the instructions for verification.
Relatedly, the statement said the Ashanti Regional Police in a joint operation with the National Insurance Commission NIC on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 busted a member of a suspected cartel of fake insurance stickers upon a tip-off near the Aboabo DVLA Office.
It said the investigator, Detective Sergeant Gideon Sellasy Avemegah confirmed the arrest and indicated that the outcome of the investigations would be known to the public at the end of the investigations.
The statement also said on Friday, February 28, 2020, the Kumasi Police busted a known insurance agent, 72-year old NANA KODUA MARFOH for submitting fake documents to the Kumasi Area Office of the National Insurance Commission (NIC) in an attempt to access the motor Compensation Fund (Comfund).
The arrest was made at the instance of the Kumasi Area Manager of the NIC upon submission of the fake documents. The case is currently being investigated by the police.
The statement said a female insurance agent who sells motor insurance for Loyalty Insurance was caught issuing fake insurance stickers of Prime Insurance Company Limited to members of the general public at the premises of the Kumasi DVLA Office.
In a similar fashion, two agents of Millennium Insurance Company Limited have also been arrested for possessing fake Allianz Insurance sticker booklets also at the premises of the same Kumasi DVLA Office and the cases were under investigation.
BY TIMES REPORTER
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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