News
Collaboration between National Security , chiefs vital to quell separatist threats
The Osie of Avatime, Osie Adza Tekpor VII, has described the meeting between national security heads and the Volta Regional House of Chiefs in Ho over the Western Togoland secessionist issue and related matters a fortnight ago, as fruitful with bright prospects for addressing the problem effectively.
He said in an interview in Ho that it was gratifying that the government’s security heads have finally acknowledged the need to engage the traditional rulers in the quest for solutions in such sensitive matters, as it emerged from the meeting which was held behind closed doors.
Osie Adza Tekpor highlighted the need for all stakeholders, including the various political parties, to get involved in the process to quell the secessionist threats which were causing fears and anxieties among the people of the Volta Region in particular, and the country as a whole.
Meanwhile, he called for a speedy investigation in the recent attack on the Intercity STC yard in Ho by gunmen carrying flags and other insignia said to belong to the so-called ‘Western Togoland’ group, and make them face the full rigours of the law.
Osie Adza Tekpor, who is President of the Congress of the Paramount Chiefs and Queens of the Ho West District, expressed concern over the true identities of the attackers and said it was mind-boggling that none of them spoke Ewe to their victims.
“It is, indeed, worrying to realise that the people who claim to be fighting for the secession of the land of the Ewe people do not speak Ewe,” said the Osie.
He maintained that the attack had left the people of the Volta Region with more questions than answers, especially with regards to the identities of the aggressors, and that made a speedy investigation into the matter absolutely imperative.
Osie Adza Tekpor said that it was also essential to establish the identities of those killed during the terrorist acts in the Battor and the Juapong areas, “so that we can commiserate with the families of the deceased”.
He said that what the country needed most before, during and after the elections, was peace.
The Osie of Avatime revealed that the chiefs earlier drew the government’s attention to the early “warning signs and undercurrents” to the activities of the separatists “but these were swept under carpet”.
He pointed out that certain unguarded and discriminatory utterances against Ewes, by the some political figures in recent time was not helping the peace.
For that matter, Osie Adza Tekpor insisted that, the government must promptly and ruthlessly deal with those who made such divisive statements which could only foment trouble in the country.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Ho
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
