News
Firewood seller jailed for stealing rubber lumps
The Tarkwa District Magistrate Court Two has sentenced Aziz Fuseini, a 24-year-old firewood seller, to 18 months imprisonment with hard labour for stealing rubber lumps valued at GH¢1,722.00.
The convict, who resided at Damang in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality, pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing. Mr Isaac Osei Asare, the presiding judge, therefore, convicted Fuseini on his own plea.
Prosecution, led by Police Sergeant Adwoa Yeboah, said the complainant, Mary Amoah, and her husband were into rubber plantation and food crop farming at Nsuaem near Aboso.
She said on December 16, 2025, at about 12:00 noon, the complainant was heading back from her crop farm when she chanced on Fuseini loading her harvested rubber lumps meant for sale into a tricycle.
Sergeant Yeboah said Prince Ampofo, the rider and a witness in the case, was also standing by his tricycle near the rubber plantation.
The prosecutor said for fear of being attacked, the complainant, after confronting Fuseini, greeted and walked away, planning to reach the main road and raise an alarm so people could help her arrest him.
According to her, Fuseini sensed the complainant could cause trouble, ordered the rider to take off, and while on the way, the complainant pleaded to join them to the main road, all in the bid to get him apprehended.
She said when they got to the Aboso refuse dump area, she alighted and grabbed Fuseini to the police station when he was about to hire another rider and raised an alarm.
Fuseini sped off, but Ampofo was picked up and handed over to the police with the goods in the tricycle, and the complainant reported the matter to the police.
Sergeant Yeboah informed the court that while investigations were ongoing, it turned out that the rider was not part of the crime, but he was only hired by Fuseini.
The prosecutor said Ampofo was later released on police enquiry bail to aid investigations.
She further noted that on December 12, 2025, Ampofo was hired for a job.
—GNA
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The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
