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Girl 10, loses memory after horrific torture
A 10-year-old girl at Kpenoe, near Ho, is suffering from memory loss after she was tied up by her paternal grandmother and subjected to severe beatings and left under the scorching sun for more than four hours, a police inquest has revealed.
The perpetrator of this barbaric act by name, Aku Gbafa, a Togolese, who is believed to be in her 50s was said to have carried out the medieval torture on the helpless and starving child as punishment for using GH¢1 from the vegetables she was sent to sell, to buy food.
of the child
The poor and traumatised child who was rescued by officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development has been on admission at the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTU) with sores on her fingers and wrist, since November 19, struggling to regain her full memory.
The Probation Officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development in the Ho Municipality, Mr Wisdom Kodjo Krakani disclosed these to The Spectator on Tuesday.
He said that some horrified neighbours alerted his outfit on November 15, leading to the rescue of the girl (name withheld) and the subsequent handing over of the woman to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) at the Regional Police Headquarters, Ho.
According to Mr Krakani, preliminary investigations revealed that the girl, whose father lived in Togo, was staying with her grandmother at Kpenoe.
As a daily routine, her grandmother sent her to go into town to sell vegetables every morning before going to school.
The probation officer said on that fateful morning, the victim carried out the duty diligently and returned home to realise that her grandmother had left no food for her before going to the farm.
The starving child then used GH¢1 from the morning’s sales to buy rice and quickly told her grandmother about it, when she (Gbafa) returned home.
That, Mr Krakani said, angered the suspect who is said to have vowed that she would not go to the farm the next day but rather stay home to teach the child a bitter lesson.
True to her words, the woman tied both hands and both legs of the girl in the open the next morning and beat her with a cane for hours until the victim started bleeding from the injuries.
As if that was not enough, the grandmother ground pepper and smeared it into the cuts, before leaving the girl under the scorching sun for several hours.
Mr Krakani said that the suspect then told the child to tell her teachers or anyone who sought to know what happened to her that she accidentally fell in boiling water.
He said that though the incident took place a few days before the girl was rescued, the girl as of now could not remember the exact day due to the trauma she was suffering from.
The story was corroborated by DOVVSU on Monday when contacted.
Aku Gbafa is currently on bail assisting in police investigations.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Kpenoe
Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, says more than 15,000 Ghanaian workers have lost their jobs following a directive issued by the Chief of Staff.
According to him, the dismissals affected not only people employed after the 2024 general elections, as stated in the directive, but also workers who had been lawfully employed as far back as 2017.
Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the Minority uncovered evidence showing serious excesses in the implementation of the directive.
“We became aware that although the letter was specific to those recruited after the 2024 elections, Ghanaian youth who were employed as far back as 2017 were all dismissed from their lawful employment,” he said.
He explained that the Minority filed a motion in Parliament to investigate the matter, which was admitted by the Speaker. However, the process has faced several delays.
According to him, the Majority Leader raised a preliminary objection to the motion, which was upheld by the First Deputy Speaker. The Minority later filed a motion for review under the rules of Parliament, which was also admitted.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the review motion was moved by him and seconded by the Member of Parliament for Ofoasi- Ayirebi, while the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor , began the debate on behalf of the Majority side.
He noted that the House was expected to continue the debate the following Tuesday to allow the Speaker to rule on the matter, but this has not happened due to other parliamentary business.
“Several times the motion appeared on the Order Paper, but we could not take it,” he stated.
The Minority Leader stressed that the delay is having serious consequences for affected workers and their families.
“This is a matter that affects the livelihood of Ghanaians. We have in excess of 15,000 Ghanaian youths affected by this directive, and they are still at home,” he said.
He added that the Minister for Employment has acknowledged receiving petitions on the issue and has initiated investigations, but said that should not stop Parliament from carrying out its own inquiry.
“These Ghanaian youths are sitting at home. Their wives, their extended families are all affected. It has been over a year, and they are not getting any justice,” he added.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin appealed to the Leader of Government Business to ensure that the motion is included in Parliament’s report and debated to allow the House to make a final decision on the matter.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Director of Communications for the United Party, Solomon Owusu, has expressed strong disappointment following the Supreme Court decision to quash the rerun of the Kpandai parliamentary election.
Mr Owusu made his views known while reacting to the ruling, stressing that he would feel deeply disappointed if he were in the position of Matthew Nyindam, the current Member of Parliament for Kpandai.
He explained that the High Court had earlier examined the case in detail and arrived at a clear determination on the matter.
According to him, the High Court found that the election was compromised and that rigging took place with the involvement of the Electoral Commission.
Mr Owusu pointed out that when the New Patriotic Party moved the case to the Supreme Court, it did not challenge the substance of the High Court findings.
He stated that the appeal was based purely on a point of law, arguing that the National Democratic Congress was time barred when it went to court, and not that the alleged rigging did not occur.
In his view, this means that Mr Nyindam remains in Parliament through an election process that did not reflect the true will of the people of Kpandai.
Mr Owusu noted that this was why he had expected a rerun of the election, to allow the MP to return to the constituency and properly establish his authority through the ballot.
He explained that a rerun would have given Mr Nyindam the opportunity to prove that he genuinely won the 2024 parliamentary election.
With the rerun now quashed, Mr Owusu questioned how the MP could celebrate or take pride in the court outcome.
He stressed that he would no longer take contributions made by Mr Nyindam in Parliament seriously, as the legitimacy of his mandate remains questionable in his view.
Mr Owusu further argued that the Supreme Court decision has shortchanged the people of Kpandai.
He described the ruling as unfair to voters who woke up early on election day, queued patiently, and voted for a candidate of their choice, only for their will to be undermined.
According to him, the outcome raises serious concerns about justice, electoral credibility, and respect for the democratic rights of the people.
By: Jacob Aggrey
