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“Free Range” at Avatime SHS … students lack toilets
Students of the Avatime Senior High School (AVASEC) at Vane in the Ho West District of the Volta Region are said to be defecating indiscriminately in the open with impunity, not only on campus but also in the neighbourhoods due to lack of adequate and decent toilets .
This became the subject matter for discussion at the last quarterly meeting of the Congress of Ho West Paramount Chiefs and Queens at Dzolo-Kpuita during the yuletide.
Osie Adza Tekpor VII, President of the congress who touched on the issue, revealed that some of the students dug shallow holes in the open and defecated in them while others did it in polythene bags.
As a result, the campus and the surroundings of the town are strewn with excrement with the accompanying stench, and health risks making life unbearable in the town, which is the traditional capital of the Avatime Traditional Area.
Osie Adza Tekpor said the sordid and soaring trend was not only disgraceful but also an affront to the status of the second cycle institution.
Worse still, he said, the state of affairs coincided with ongoing efforts by the Avatime traditional authorities to woo foreign and local investors to the area to revive potato, apple and grape cultivation, and also perk up the tourism industry at Avatime.
“The nasty scenes and the surroundings filled with repugnant odour would turn away the investors,” the Osie bemoaned.
Meanwhile, Onetsitsie Osei Yawa VIII, Paramount Queen of Avatime sought to know how students of a second cycle institution could be so morally depraved that they threw polythene bags with excrement even into church premises.
“This is horrifying, indeed,” she grieved.
The congress called on the assembly to rise up and address the problem by providing toilets in the school this month, before all the students returned to campus.
Responding, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Ernest Victor Apau gave the assurance that, the problem would be tackled as a matter of priority, not only at AVASEC but also at other senior high schools in the district.
He said that, a water closet project at Kpedze Senior High School was nearing completion.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Dzolo-Kpuita
The Madina Divisional Police Command is investigating a shooting incident involving former Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo.
According to a preliminary police statement, the incident occurred on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the late father’s residence in Kwabenya, Accra Region.
Police said Ms. Safo sustained a gunshot wound to her left ear. She later reported the matter to Kwabenya Police and presented a vehicle with registration number GN 3482-24 showing visible bullet damage.
The victim has been issued a medical report form and is receiving treatment. The vehicle has been impounded for forensic examination.
Investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances of the shooting and to identify all persons involved.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Kristo Asafo Mission of Ghana has accused former Dome-Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo of misleading the public by creating the impression that she sustained gunshot wounds during the enstoolment ceremony of its new leader.
In a statement, the church said the incident occurred on June 21, 2026, at its Kwabenya property after a lawful church event.
According to the mission, Ms. Safo arrived at the venue and forcefully drove her vehicle into the entrance gates, striking and causing substantial damage to two metallic gates.
“At the time of the incident, numerous worshippers and invited guests were present within the premises, including individuals seated in close proximity to the entrance,” the statement said.
The mission added that the act posed a serious risk to life and property, noting that security personnel intervened to prevent further escalation.
The church said it has taken note of unverified media reports and social media claims that Ms. Safo was shot by her brother during the incident.
“We categorically reject these allegations as false and misleading. To the best of our knowledge and based on information presently available to us, no such shooting occurred,” it stated.
The Kristo Asafo Mission is calling on authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into all aspects of the incident.
It also urged the public to refrain from drawing conclusions based on unverified social media reports and to allow law enforcement to establish the facts through due process.
The mission reiterated its commitment to peace, truth, the rule of law, and the safety of all persons who attend its events.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
