News
Judge commends police, social welfare, others for fight against human trafficking
The Supervising High Court Judge in the Volta Region, Mr Eric Baah, has commended the Ghana Police Service, Department of Social Welfare and the International Justice Mission for their valiant roles in the pursuit, arrest and subsequent conviction a fortnight ago of the Volta Lake couple known for their notoriety in human trafficking.
He also praised the counsel for the republic, Mr Andrews Adugu and the Attorney General’s Department for the hard work and diligence which resulted in the successful prosection and caging of the duo.
Fishmonger, Aku Kedevi, 40, and her fisherman boy friend, Michael Boti, 63, earned extra money from trafficking children from one location to another, subjecting them to brutish servitude in the fishing business.
They were found guilty of trafficking nine children, including one Nigerian from their homes between 2015 and 2017 to locations far away, where they exploited the children in mid-waters on the Volta Lake and outside the lake as well, to enrich themselves.
The Spectator last Saturday carried the full story of their trial at a Ho High Court.
The court sentenced Kedevi and Boti to 10 years and eight years imprisonment in hard labour respectively for human trafficking.
For conspiracy to commit human trafficking, Kedevi and Boti were sentenced to five years imprisonment each, while Boti was slammed with an additional seven-year jail term for the use of trafficked persons.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
Giving judgement, Mr Justice Baah, presiding, said that the victims suffered pain and trauma in their formative years when they had the least capacity to cope.
“Their parents deserted them. Society cannot fail them. If their lives are not put back on, it is the society that will suffer their future vengeance. They need care and support,” the court added.
The court ordered the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and Department of Social Welfare to make the necessary arrangements for the victims’ custody, their welfare and education or training.
Meanwhile, the court described Kedevi as a disgrace to womanhood, saying that as a matured woman she was expected to show compassion to children and work to secure their security but she did the opposite.
The court branded Boti, a chief, as a failed leader of his community.
“As a chief, he was expected to trumpet the campaign against human trafficking and child slavery.
“Instead, he gleefully subjected other people’s children to bondage and servitude, as he sought the best of education for his own children,” the court said.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Ho
Ahyiresu and Abofrem, two quiet communities in the Atwima Mponua District, have been shaken to the core by a chilling midnight drama that reads like a nightmare.
A pastor and a young mother stand accused of attempting to bury a five‑month‑old baby girl alive, a crime that has ignited outrage and disbelief across the township.
According to police, Apostle Richmond Akwasi Frimpong, 36, Head Pastor of the Anointed Grace Prayer Ministry at Kuffour Camp, conspired with his uncle Emmanuel Appiah, 53, and the child’s mother, 23‑year‑old Beatrice Agyapomaa, to dispose of the infant, Anaya Achiaa, under the cover of darkness.
A fourth suspect, Emmanuel Donkor, remains on the run.
The suspects were caught near a refuse dump around 10 pm on April 9, 2026, after a vigilant resident, Akwasi Twezor, noticed their suspicious movements.
When confronted, they claimed the child was already dead and had palace approval for burial. But Twezor’s instincts proved right—the baby was still alive, gasping faintly for breath.
Chief Linguist, Nana Yaw Badu, later confirmed that Frimpong had misled him earlier in the evening, securing permission for burial by falsely declaring the child dead.
The infant was rushed to the Abofrem Clinic, where she is now responding well to treatment. Police described her as “very beautiful.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evelyn Yitamkey, Commander of DOVVSU in Bibiani, confirmed that the suspects have been provisionally charged.
Frimpong faces attempted murder and conspiracy charges, while Agyapomaa and Appiah are charged with conspiracy and abetment.
They were remanded by the Bibiani Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Frank Asiedu Nimako, to assist investigations.
The docket has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice, ASP Yitamkey indicated.
The attempted crime has provoked fury among residents, many suspecting ritual motives aimed at bolstering the pastor’s influence.
Crowds attempted to attack the suspects outside court, but police intervention prevented mob justice.
The Assembly Member for Ahyiresu, Yusuf Suleiman, has assured residents that justice will be pursued swiftly.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The forecourt of the African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) in Accra came alive on Friday with colour, creativity and innovation, as Level 300 students transformed the space into a lively exhibition of ideas.
Under the theme “Building meaningful brands beyond the logo,” the students invited patrons into a world where ordinary products were reimagined through storytelling, design and purpose.
From scented candles to innovative food concepts, each stand told a unique story, one that went beyond aesthetics to capture identity, value and human connection.
For many of the students, the event was more than just an academic exercise; it was a moment to dream out loud.
Guided by their lecturer, Peter Wonders, they explored what it truly means to build a brand in today’s competitive world where trust, consistency and experience matter just as much as logos and slogans.
Chairman of the occasion, Nana Kum Gyata VI, in his remarks said a brand is what people say about you when you are not present.
At the end of the presentations, awards were presented to deserving groups with Vida Nyaneba emerging as the overall best branding student.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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