News
K’si Central Prison inmates show prowess at AshantiFest 2025
Soap, slippers, beads, kente cloth, and other handcrafted goods made by inmates of the Kumasi Central Prisons took a centre stage during this year’s Ashanti Festival/AshantiFest, a celebration that also highlighted major challenges facing the overpopulated correctional facility.
Held last Thursday, the fourth day of AshantiFest was dedicated to the Kumasi Central Prison, which hosted the event on prison grounds.
Amoakohene with some of the Prisons
Officers at Ashantifest
As part of the festival, inmates exhibited a wide range of products they had made through vocational training programmes aimed at reforming and equipping them for life after incarceration.
The public turned out in numbers to purchase the products, which included liquid soap, slippers, bags, kente cloth, and beads. Prison officers also entertained guests with vibrant jama songs and live band performances.
Amid the cultural display, Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, announced that the government was considering relocating the Kumasi Central Prison from its current site in Adum.
Built in 1901 and last expanded in 1935 to hold 500 inmates, the facility now houses nearly 2,000 — creating severe overcrowding and health concerns.
Dr. Amoakohene explained that the relocation would allow for improved infrastructure and the expansion of training facilities to support inmate rehabilitation.
“This fits into the government’s ‘Feed the Country’ programme, allowing us to not only reform inmates but also contribute to food production and national development,” he said.
Kumasi Central Prisons Commander, DDP, James B. Mwinyelle, urged the public to support reformed inmates and help them reintegrate into society.
“All the inmates here will one day leave the four walls of this prison,” he said. “Let’s not discriminate against them when they do,” he stated.
He also appealed for private sector partnerships to scale up training initiatives.
“We produce FDA-approved sachet water and run several skills programmes. With support, we can do more to ensure inmates leave here with employable skills,” he added.
As part of the event, medical screening was provided for inmates, while MTN and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital held a blood donation drive.
Donors encouraged Ghanaians to participate in similar exercises to save lives.
Moreover, the Ashanti Regional Minister also shared recent improvements to the prison’s health centre, including a new roof, tiling, air conditioning, and medical equipment.
AshantiFest, spearheaded by Dr. Amoakohene, aims to promote Ashanti culture, boost the local economy through support for locally made products, and help revive the Kumawood movie industry.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
A 29-year-old tricycle rider, Naah Mashood, has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a three-year-old girl at Tiegber in the Wa Municipality.
The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Upper West Regional Police Command arrested the suspect on February 24, 2026, following a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother.
According to police, the convict, who had been contracted by the parents to pick the victim to and from school, lured her to an isolated location on February 23, 2026, and sexually assaulted her inside his tricycle, popularly known as ‘Camboo’.
After thorough investigations, he was arraigned before the Wa District Magistrate Court and subsequently stood trial at the Wa High Court.
On October 30, 2026, His Lordship Justice Osei-Wusu found him guilty of defilement and sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The Upper West Regional Police Command has commended the officers involved in the investigation and prosecution, as well as all persons who contributed to ensuring justice was served.
The Command urged parents and guardians to keep a close eye on their children and ensure their safety at all times, and encouraged the public to report suspected cases of child abuse and defilement to the nearest police station or DOVVSU office for prompt action.
It further assured the public of its commitment to protecting children and ensuring perpetrators of sexual offences are brought to justice.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has announced the arrest of three suspected members of a criminal syndicate believed to be behind a series of robberies targeting bank customers in Kumasi and its environs.
On October 31, 2026, at about 11:30 pm, an IGP’s Special Team, comprising personnel from the Anti-Armed Robbery Unit of the CID Headquarters and the Accra Regional Police Intelligence Directorate (PID), acting on intelligence, embarked on an operation to apprehend the suspects.
The operation led to the arrest of two Nigerian nationals, Aboy Promise, 30, and Favour Uwalaka, 45, at a hotel at Moshie Zongo. A search of their rooms resulted in the recovery of GH¢1,600.00, assorted mobile phones, a Royal motorbike and a master key used to gain unauthorized access to victims’ vehicles to steal cash.
During interrogation, the suspects admitted their involvement in the robberies and mentioned two accomplices, Chinedu, alias Alhaji, and Kingsley, alias KC.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the syndicate monitored banking premises, identified customers who withdrew substantial sums of money and trailed them before attacking and robbing them. They also broke into unattended vehicles belonging to bank customers using a master key to steal cash kept inside.
The suspects subsequently led the police team to another hotel at Dechemso, a suburb of Kumasi, where Kingsley, alias KC, 35, also a Nigerian national, was arrested.
The remaining accomplice, Chinedu, alias Alhaji, is currently on the run. The Command is appealing to the public to volunteer credible information that could lead to his arrest. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to report to the nearest police station or contact the police through emergency numbers 191, 112 or the toll-free MTN and Telecel line 18555.
The suspects admitted to robbing a victim of GH¢15,000.00 at Asokore Mampong on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, after the victim had withdrawn money from Kwamang Rural Bank. They also admitted to similar robberies at the Atonsu branch of Fidelity Bank, the Ahodwo branch of Access Bank and other locations within Kumasi and its environs.
The three arrested suspects have since been handed over to the Ashanti Regional Police Command and are assisting with investigations.
The Command has cautioned bank customers to remain vigilant, be alert to suspicious persons around banking premises and avoid leaving cash or other valuables unattended in vehicles, while commending the public for their continued cooperation and assuring residents of its commitment to combating robbery and other criminal activities in the region.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
