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Military deployment not to intimidate residents Defence Minister

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The government has denied allegations that it deployed military personnel to Ghana’s border towns to intimidate residents from participating in the voter registration exercise scheduled to commence today.

Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, said the military deployment was in support of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS)’s efforts to stop illegal entry of foreigners through unapproved routes along the borders.

Explaining further, he noted that, the decision to deploy military personnel was informed by government’s commitment to protect the populace in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and not targeted at instilling fear or suppressing a group or tribe.

The government, he said, commenced the deployment of military personnel together with police, GIS and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) personnel on February 21 last year in an operation dubbed “Conquered Fist,” designed to enforce border laws in the country.

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This, he noted, involved 384 soldiers, 259 police, 172 immigration officers and 70 GRA officers and were mostly stationed in the Northern, North East, Upper East, Upper West and Savannah regions.

Following the closure of Ghana’s borders amid the COVID-19, Mr Nitiwul said, the government decided to improve security along the borders due to significant increase in the use of unapproved routes by foreigners to enter the country.

During the period of lockdown alone, more than 5,000 persons were arrested for entering the country through one of the 500 illegal routes identified so far by the country’s security teams.

On March 30 and April 20 this year, the Minister said, military personnel were also deployed together with the police as part of ‘Operation Calm Life’ to ensure increased security during and after the lockdown in some parts of the country.

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A further deployment was done on June 18 and 19 to all border towns to support existing teams to close all unapproved routes to deal with illegal entry, the Minister added.

In the Upper East Region, he said, 207 were deployed to eight various locations, 102 were deployed to four areas in the North East region, 110 were posted to five locations in the Northern region while 95 personnel were deployed to nine areas in the Volta Region.

At Upper West, 69 soldiers were deployed to three different locations, 21 soldiers were posted to Damango and Bole in the Savannah Region while 44 and 13 soldiers were deployed to Bono and Western regions respectively, Mr Nitiwul stated.

He noted that the Ministry was in the process of deploying some other personnel to Gyaman North and Dormaa, both in the Bono region.

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He said marine security has also been tightened through increased patrols to prevent illegal entries.

He, however, noted that the Ministry would investigate allegations that some military personnel were intimidating residents in the area of deployments.

Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information, denounced comments by some political actors that the deployment of military personnel in the Volta Region was an attack on the people of the area.

He said government was not prepared to engage in politics that borders on ethnocentrism and urged opposing political parties to refrain from stirring ethnic sentiments and focus on supporting the country’s development.

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Source: Ghanaian Times

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Justin Kodua Frimpong files nomination to seek re-election as NPP General Secretary

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General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.

He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.

Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.

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“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.

He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.

“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.

His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.

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The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.

The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

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UGMC disputes Michael Blackson’s claims over late mother’s treatment

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The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.

In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.

The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.

According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.

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UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.

The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.

It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.

UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.

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The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.

The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.

Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.

By: Jacob Aggrey

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