The Paramount Chief of Bamvum, Abdulai Ziblim, has donated a one-acre plot of land at Jongshegu, a suburb of Tamale, to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) for the construction of a new fire station.

The Northern Regional Commander of the GNFS, ACFO I Joseph Koranteng, led a delegation to formally accept the land and expressed appreciation to the Chief for his commitment to public safety.

The proposed fire station is expected to improve emergency response times and strengthen fire safety coverage as Jongshegu and surrounding communities continue to expand rapidly.

The Chief called on stakeholders to support the swift development of the facility, while ACFO I Koranteng described the donation as a strong example of collaboration between traditional authorities and state institutions to protect lives and property.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

The Minority in Parliament has called for an independent parliamentary inquiry into what it describes as Ghana’s growing involvement in major narcotics trafficking cases under the NDC government.

The Minority Caucus, in a statement signed by the Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, on Sunday, September 13, 2026, said Ghana had repeatedly featured in major drug trafficking cases in the past 18 months.

It cited several seizures of suspected narcotics in Ghana and abroad which it claims were linked to the country.

The Minority said on March 4, 2025, the National Intelligence Bureau intercepted a tipper truck at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast carrying more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand.

It said the consignment was allegedly being transported from Takoradi to Accra and had an estimated street value of more than US$350 million.

According to the Caucus, another consignment of about 120 slabs of cocaine, valued at approximately US$150 million, was also intercepted along the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway.

The Minority further stated that on August 5, 2026, the Tema Regional Police Command seized 866 parcels of suspected cocaine concealed in sacks of gari at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave. It put the estimated value of the seizure at US$6.9 million.

It raised concerns about what it described as two unresolved incidents, involving an aircraft that allegedly arrived at Kotoka International Airport from Gran Canaria with narcotics and undeclared US currency in March 2025, and the MV Sankofa incident in July 2025.

The Caucus claimed the vessel, which it said was sailing under a forged flag, was released by the Ghana Maritime Authority after paying only part of a fine of almost GH¢12 million and without a full inspection of its cargo.

It added that the vessel was arrested days later in Senegal, where narcotics were allegedly found on board.

The Minority referred to international seizures it said were linked to Ghana.

It stated that Australian customs authorities seized 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine on June 18, 2026, concealed in a charcoal consignment traced to Ghana.

It further cited a Reuters report that French customs officials on September 10, 2026, seized nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at the port of Dunkirk. The cocaine was allegedly concealed in a container of plastic waste that had departed Ghana.

The Minority argued that the seizures it listed amounted to more than US$1 billion worth of narcotics linked to Ghana in less than two years.

It expressed concern that while some suspects had been arrested and put before the courts, the alleged financiers and major dealers behind some of the consignments remained unidentified.

The Caucus specifically questioned the progress of investigations into the Pedu Junction cocaine seizure, claiming that more than a year after the incident, prosecutions had mainly involved the driver, a housemaid and other suspects it described as peripheral.

It therefore demanded a full-scale and independent parliamentary inquiry into the possible involvement, negligence or failure of oversight by agencies responsible for preventing drug trafficking.

The Minority wants the Minister for the Interior, Minister for Transport and heads of the Narcotics Control Commission, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Immigration Service and the Bureau of National Investigation to appear before Parliament.

It wants them to account for the status of investigations into the various seizures, explain the circumstances surrounding the release of the MV Sankofa and outline measures being taken to protect Ghana’s ports, airports and territorial waters from international drug cartels.

The Minority said it would continue to push for accountability until the issues surrounding the alleged drug trafficking cases were fully investigated and those found responsible were held accountable.

By: Jacob Aggrey