News
Hotel in vicinity of Kumasi Central Mosque? …Shop owners oppose move
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
&description= Hotel in vicinity of Kumasi Central Mosque? …Shop owners oppose move', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
&description= Hotel in vicinity of Kumasi Central Mosque? …Shop owners oppose move', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
A desire of the Assets Committee of the Kumasi Central Mosque (KCM) to demolish shops within the confines of the mosque has met a stiff resistance from owners.
The demolishing exercise is expected to pave the way for the reconstruction of a hotel and other shops to befit the new look of the area.
The mosque was renovated with support from the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
That left the responsibility of renovating the shops to reflect the new look on the committee.
But, the shop owners within the confines of the mosque at Akwatialine in Kumasi, have objected to the move, demanding compensation and citing the promotion of immoral activities.
According to the shop owners, the construction of a hotel may promote activities considered ‘haram’ (immoral and indecent to Islam).
A meeting held last Tuesday between the Assets Committee and the shop owners ended abruptly when the latter kicked against the exercise, saying that they would not move until they were paid compensation.
The Chairman of the KCM, Alhaji Ahmed Rashid Yakubu, when contacted stated that there would be no compensation for anyone.
He added that the promotion of immoral or indecent activities should not be the headache of the shop owners, adding that the KCM was capable of handling it.
This has generated a misunderstanding between the committee and the shop owners.
He admitted that somewhere in 1998, the owners of the shops were asked to use their own monies for the construction after which they should occupy for 10 years to defray the costs and hand over to the authorities of the Mosque.
He explained that some of the real owners have sold their stores and others have rented them out for about 25 years and paid nothing to the committee.
Alhaji Yakubu urged the store owners to cooperate with the Assets Committee so that they would work out how to get back their stores upon completion and not use force to stop the reconstruction process.
Spokesman for the store owners, Muntali Mohammed, on his part said they used their own money to build the stores when the place was in a bad state.
According to Mr Mohammed, all they needed was for the KCM to compensate them.
“We are not moving an inch, they should pay back our money used to construct the stores… we cannot let our monies go waste; we are prepared for any action,” he intoned.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The Accra Regional Police Command has arrested former professional boxer Michael Ayitey Okai, popularly known as “Ayitey Powers,” over an alleged threat of death against the Director-General of the National Sports Authority, Yaw Ampofo.
According to the Police, the 46-year-old former boxer was arrested on Monday, August 24, 2026, in connection with the alleged threat.
The Police said the arrest followed a video circulating on social media in which Ayitey Powers is alleged to have issued the threat against Mr Ampofo.
He is currently in Police custody and is assisting with investigations.
The Accra Regional Police Command said investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged threat and determine the appropriate action to be taken in accordance with the law.
The Command has urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified information about the matter while the investigation continues.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Minority Leader in Parliament Alexander Afenyo Markin has sued the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, and Multimedia Group Limited over alleged defamatory comments made against him on the Newsfile programme.
In a writ filed at the High Court in Accra, Mr Afenyo Markin is seeking GH¢15 million in damages, an apology and retraction of the statements, among other reliefs.
The suit follows comments allegedly made by Mr Gyamfi during the Saturday, August 22, 2026 edition of Newsfile, hosted by Samson Lardy Anyenini.
According to the statement of claim, Mr Gyamfi described Mr Afenyo Markin as an “extortionist” while responding to a question about GoldBod’s reported profits and its position on losses arising from its operations.
The plaintiff claims that Mr Gyamfi repeated the allegation when the host sought clarification on whether he stood by the description.
Mr Afenyo Markin further claims that Mr Gyamfi challenged him to sue him and insisted that the allegation was true.
The plaintiff argues that the statements created the impression that he engages in extortion, uses his political influence to put improper pressure on public institutions and officials, and conducts himself in a manner inconsistent with the standards expected of a lawyer and public office holder.
He denies the allegations and maintains that he is not an extortionist and has never engaged in the conduct alleged by Mr Gyamfi.
The Minority Leader also argues that the comments were made maliciously and were presented as facts without evidence being disclosed.
He claims the statements have damaged his reputation, professional standing and public image, particularly because of his position as a senior political figure and legal practitioner.
The suit also names Multimedia Group Limited as a defendant because, according to the plaintiff, the alleged defamatory comments were broadcast through JoyNews and subsequently circulated on social media platforms, including X, Facebook and YouTube.
Mr Afenyo Markin claims Multimedia failed to stop the comments or deactivate Mr Gyamfi’s microphone after the allegations were made.
He is therefore asking the court to award him general, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as GH¢15 million in compensation and legal costs.
He is also seeking an order compelling the defendants to issue a full, unconditional and unequivocal retraction and public apology.
The plaintiff wants the apology and retraction to be given similar prominence and reach as the original publication, including through JoyNews and the social media platforms where the comments were disseminated.
He is further seeking a permanent injunction preventing the defendants from repeating the alleged defamatory statements or words with a similar meaning.
The writ requires the defendants to enter an appearance within eight days after being served.
It warns that failure to do so could result in judgment being entered in their absence.
The case was filed by lawyer Paa Kwesi Abaidoo of Dehyena Chambers on behalf of Mr Afenyo Markin.
By: Jacob Aggrey
