News
Armed robbers attack traders at Paga border
Six armed robbers on Tuesday attacked and robbed some black market exchange traders of their monies at Paga border in the Kassena-Nankana District of the Upper East Region.
The incident started at about 9 am, near Dakola at the Burkina Faso side of the border where some of the black market exchange traders transact their businesses.
The Ghanaian Times gathered that the six robbers who were armed with guns came to the robbery scene with three motorbikes, and robbed the traders who had just begun their businesses in the main market in the morning.
Speaking to the Ghanaian Times, some eyewitnesses said some of the robbers blocked both sides of the ECOWAS road amidst sporadic gun shots, whilst others also moved to stalls, threatening the traders with the guns to give up their monies to them or face the consequences.
Some of the traders who managed to escape to the border site of Ghana informed personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority stationed at the Paga border town of Ghana who proceeded to the robbery scene and exchanged gun fire, forcing the armed robbers to retreat.
The border security personnel, however, called for reinforcement from the police and the military, chased the robbers and finally arrested two of them at Pindaa, whilst the rest escaped into the bush.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Kassena-Nankana, Mr Gerard Ataogye, who confirmed the story to the Ghanaian Times said, he was informed by personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service about the incident.
He said the two arrested robbers are foreigners from neigbouring Burkina Faso and have since been handed over to the law enforcement agencies in Burkina Faso.
Mr Ataogye said the security agencies in Ghana were in talks with their counterparts in Burkina Faso to see how they could apprehend the rest of the perpetrators who escaped to deal with them
The DCE lauded the efforts of the Ghanaian security agencies for their timely intervention and entreated the residents of the area, particularly traders, to immediately report to the security agencies any suspicious criminal.
Meanwhile, some of the residents who spoke to the Ghanaian Times said it was not the first time such an incident had happened and called on the security agencies to be extra vigilant.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, PAGA
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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Traders have returned to the streets of Accra, occupying pavements and stretches of some roads after the last major decongestion exercise.
The exercise, which was aimed at restoring order in areas like Kingsway, CMB, Rawlings Park, Tudu etc, have now been defeated.
From Kingsway to Rawlings Park, traders display several wares including, footwear, herbal medicines, plastic products, fresh fish, second-hand clothing, and vegetables, among others.
Local Evangelists are also not left out as they scramble for spaces on the streets.
Pedestrians, therefore, find it difficult to move around when shopping, due to the human and vehicular congestion created by the traders.
In an interview with The Spectator, Auntie Abigail, a trader, said her return to the streets was to sell more, and she saw nothing wrong with it.
Hajia, who deals in wholesale items, indicated that they were unable to make sales as their colleagues move to the pavement and since customers don’t want to come inside, they prefer to buy from them.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has given traders a grace period to go back to their shops.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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