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5 more bodies retrieved from recent floods in Accra
Five more bodies have been retrieved by the police after Tuesday dawn downpour, which resulted in flooding in some parts of Accra.
The dead include, three males, a pregnant woman, and a two-year-old boy, bringing the number of fatalities recorded so far as a result of the floods, to six.
The Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, who gave the update to the Ghanaian Times, in Accra, yesterday, said the bodies had since been taken to the Police Hospital and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital mortuaries.
She said on June 9, at about 8:30am, a man was found lying dead in a supine position at a hotel in the Neoplan area.
DSP Tenge said the police also received information that a male body had been found at the Metro Mass Bus terminal, adding that personnel proceeded to the scene and retrieved the body of Dominic Abikwoa, 31.
She said the police also received information that an unknown pregnant woman, aged 25, was lying dead at the Art Centre beach
“The body was inspected and a deep cut was found on the right eyebrow,” DSP Tenge added.
She said the police retrieved the body of one Lousie Sobou Tchanda, 28, who got drown when the fence wall to a house collapsed.
The Police PRO said the body of a two-year-old boy was also retrieved at the Achimota Charcoal Station, near a big gutter.
It would be recalled that The Ghanaian Times in its Wednesday, June 10, 2020 issue reported that parts of Accra were submerged, following a downpour, which lasted about four hours.
Characteristic of flooding in Accra, properties running into several millions of cedis were destroyed, while one person was reported dead at Adabraka in Accra.
In addition, several people were trapped in their homes as they could not step out due to the volume of water and the magnitude of the current.
The situation culminated into heavy traffic jams in most areas.
Some of the affected areas included Alajo in the Ayawaso East municipality, Kwame Nkrumah Interchange area in the Okaikoi South municipality, Adabraka Sahara in the Korle-Klottey municipality, and the Kaneshie First Light area, Sakaman, North Kaneshie, Awoshie, Achimota and Odorkor.
The floods resulted in heavy traffic on the roads and passengers were also spotted stranded at various bus stops waiting for vehicles to be transported to their various destinations.
Rubbish from choked gutters was washed unto the roads as a result of the floods.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI
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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