News
Docket on gun-wielding chief sent to AG’s Dept. for advice
The docket of the Chief of Domanafo who allegedly ran amok and opened fire on a 19-year-old boy has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice.
The boy was said to have been accused by the chief for insubordination.
Chief Superintendent of Police, Sulley Ibrahim, Mampongteng Divisional Police Commander, told this paper, here in a follow-up to the incident.
He said the gun used by the Chief, Nana Owusu Kwarteng, is in the custody of the police, adding it had been licensed.
A sister paper of the Spectator, The Ghanaian Times, reported the incident in its Tuesday, April 28, 2020 edition that the chief was said to have invited the teenager and (Loveline Antwi), to his palace following a fight, but the boy declined to go.
The chief who was said to have armed himself with a gun, rushed to the house of the teenager, fired two warning shots before blasting the chest of the boy, on that fateful Thursday (April 23, 2020).
Speaking to The Spectator here on phone, the victim’s father, Nana Kwame Frimpomg, linguist of the Offinso Paramountcy, claimed that the chief after the shooting, picked the boy, who was bleeding profusely, into his own car to the Ankaase hospital but was asked to send him to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
He said the chief went to the Mamponteng Police station to report that he had shot a suspected robber.
According to the father, the victim’s sister was sent to buy some items but some three boys, said to be from the palace, were trailing her.
He said in the process the victim bumped into the scene and the sister told him of what was going on.
The victim, the father said, inquired from the boys why they were trailing her but that resulted in a fight but they were separated by some neighbours.
When a word got to the chief about the brawl, the chief sent some young men to the house of the teenager inviting him to the palace.
The boy declined to go because it was late and the mother of the boy told those sent that she would bring him (boy) along the following day.
The chief got furious as he was informed, so he armed himself and rushed to the boy’s place resulting in the shooting incident.
He was said to have fired two warning shots to scare the household before entering the house.
Chief Superintendent Ibrahim, further confirmed that the chief was detained on Thursday and later released on an enquiry bail.
The police also confirmed that the chief reported a robbery case that led to the shooting.
From Kingsley E.Hope, Kumasi
The state has closed its case in the Republic v Akonta Mining and two others.
The case was heard earlier today at the Accra Criminal Court, where state prosecutors and CID investigators from the Ghana Police Service closed the Republic’s case.
In all, the prosecution called three witnesses to prove its case, two former employees of Akonta Mining Company Limited and a detective from the Ghana Police Service.
According to an update on the case, the two former employees testified to Mr Bernard Antwi-Boasiako’s deep involvement in Akonta Mining Company’s alleged illegal mining activities in the Tano-Nimiri Forest Reserve.
The police detective tendered in evidence drone footage and other audio-visual materials and official communications in support of the testimonies of the two former Akonta Mining employees.
The accused persons, through cross-examination of the witnesses, sought to dissociate themselves from every mining activity in the Tano-Nimiri Forest Reserve.
At the close of the prosecution’s case, counsel for the accused persons asked the court to allow him to call the first prosecution witness back into the witness box for further cross-examination.
The court gave him up to Friday, October 30, to file a formal motion to recall the witnesses.
The case has been adjourned to November 4 for the motion to be heard.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, spokesperson to NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has called on the government and Parliament to undertake major reforms in Ghana’s prison system, including the construction of a dedicated prison hospital and the introduction of regulated conjugal visits.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Dr Boakye-Danquah shared Chairman Wontumi’s observations and recommendations following his remand on July 20, 2026.
According to the statement, Chairman Wontumi’s experience in prison has given him the opportunity to interact with prison officers and inmates and observe the challenges facing the Ghana Prisons Service.
The statement noted that the NPP chairman believes the correctional system must move beyond punishment to focus on rehabilitation, welfare and productivity.
One of his major concerns is the lack of dedicated, well-equipped prison hospitals, ambulances and standby generators in several prison facilities.
Dr Boakye-Danquah said Chairman Wontumi had raised concerns about the difficulties in providing medical care to seriously ill inmates, including those suffering from tuberculosis.
He is therefore calling for the construction of a modern prison hospital to serve facilities across the country. In the interim, he has proposed emergency arrangements with the 37 Military Hospital and the Police Hospital.
On the welfare of prison officers, Chairman Wontumi has urged the government to review their salaries, accommodation and conditions of service.
He has also called for proper classification of inmates, arguing that minor offenders should not be housed alongside armed robbery convicts and that persons facing trial for serious offences, including treason and terrorism, should be appropriately separated from other inmates.
The statement further highlighted concerns about the need for counselling and behavioural support for young inmates, particularly those serving sentences for defilement-related offences.
Chairman Wontumi has also called for a clear policy on the classification and management of LGBTQI+ inmates within the prison system.
On family relationships, he has proposed the creation of designated private areas where prisoners can receive visits from their spouses and children.
He believes regulated conjugal visits could help preserve marriages, reduce tension among inmates and support rehabilitation.
“The prisoner is the one in prison, not the children or spouse,” the statement noted, explaining his position on the need to protect family relationships during incarceration.
Chairman Wontumi has appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to support prison farms with the necessary equipment to improve food production.
According to the statement, the Ghana Prisons Service has access to vast lands and skilled labour but faces a shortage of agricultural equipment, with only one tractor reportedly available for farming and garbage-related activities.
He has further proposed greater collaboration between prison authorities and the justice sector, suggesting that regional prison commanders should be included in relevant discussions because of their knowledge of prison conditions and inmate rehabilitation.
On infrastructure, Chairman Wontumi has called on the government and private sector to invest in modern prison facilities and factories, arguing that the system has seen limited structural improvements over the years.
Appeal to Parliament
Dr Boakye-Danquah said Chairman Wontumi had made a special appeal to Parliament to lead efforts towards comprehensive prison reform.
He is urging the Speaker of Parliament to initiate discussions on prison conditions as a human rights and national development issue.
He has also called on the Majority and Minority caucuses to work together to pass a new Prison Reform Act and approve funding for a dedicated prison hospital, ambulance services, standby generators and agricultural equipment.
Additionally, he wants the Parliamentary Select Committees on Defence and Interior, Health, and Food and Agriculture to undertake working visits to prisons across the country to assess conditions firsthand.
According to the statement, Chairman Wontumi believes bipartisan cooperation between the Majority and Minority caucuses is necessary to secure the legal and financial reforms required to improve the prison system.
He has called for broader prison reforms across Africa, expressing hope that Ghana could lead the continent in improving correctional facilities.
Reflecting on his experience since July 20, Chairman Wontumi stated: “At this experience since July 20th till date, prison doesn’t reform as it should be. I pray that the entire Africa will learn from Ghana.”
The statement added that Chairman Wontumi remained in high spirits.
By: Jacob Aggrey
