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Police arrest 14 in Plateau for violating curfewThe Plateau State
Command says it has arrested 14 suspected violators of the 24-hour curfew earlier imposed in Jos, the state capital, and its environs.
The state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, disclosed this shortly after the State Security Council meeting on Monday in Jos.
The state government on Sunday imposed a 24-hour curfew in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis, following the outbreak of violence and looting by some protesters in the Jos North Local Government Area of the state.
Adesina said that the activities of miscreants, who hijacked the peaceful protest in the state, forced the state government to impose the 24-hour curfew.
He said, “As you all know, the nationwide protest in the state was going on peacefully, until yesterday when some miscreants hijacked it and started looting public and private assets in the state. The state government immediately imposed a curfew to curtail activities of the miscreants; the curfew is still in place.”
“Our resolution of this meeting is that we shall fully and vigorously enforce the curfew; anyone caught violating it will be prosecuted.So far, we have arrested 14 violators and we want to warn residents to stay indoors pending when the curfew is reviewed by government,” he warned.
On his part, the governor’s Special Adviser on Security, Brig.-Gen. Gakji Shipi (retd.), called on residents of the state to eschew violence and give peace a chance.
He added that “This government is doing everything possible to ensure Plateau is peaceful but the bad eggs among us will not relent in tarnishing our good image.”
“We want to appeal to all citizens to eschew all forms of violence and explore peaceful means of coexistence; our citizens should desist from incitement. As a government, we will continue to support the security agencies in their bid toward a peaceful and virile Plateau,” Shipi said.
NAN reports that the security meeting was presided over by Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
Source: Thepunch
The spokesperson for Okuapehene, Ohenenana B.S. Opoku, has dismissed social media reports that there is insecurity in Okuapemam and for that matter an indefinite ban has been placed on the celebration of this year’s annual Odwira Festival.
Ohenenana Opoku, who is also a member of the Odwira Festival Planning Committee, said Odwira would be celebrated and all the necessary arrangements have been made for a peaceful celebration.
According to him, there is no merit in all the allegations on the media space because there has not been any chieftaincy dispute in any of the divisional heads in the area.
“There is absolute peace in Okuapeman, therefore, all Okuapeman citizens living in Ghana and abroad should come home to celebrate the Odwira Festival.”
In a press briefing at the Okuapeman Palace in Akropong on Friday, Ohenenana Opoku described the allegations as false, stating that all the divisional chiefs have been gazetted and recognised in Ghana’s Chieftaincy records.
He said Okuapemam has been celebrating Odwira Festival for the past five years under the leadership of Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III without any dispute.
He emphasised that Okuapeman constitutes 17 major towns with their own chiefs under Okuapemanhene and that nobody has the right to ban or stop any chief from celebrating it.
Ohenenana Opoku appealed to the people of Ghana to come and enjoy the Akuapem Odwira Festival which is one of the best cultures in Ghana.
In view of that, the Yagbonwura, Bii-Kunuto Jewu Saole, has accepted to grace the festival as the special guest of honour.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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Childdren and pregnant women in Ghana are unknowingly being exposed to toxic levels of lead in everyday products, a new study by UNICEF and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has revealed.
The nationwide study, which covered all 16 regions, found dangerous levels of lead contamination in items such as cosmetics, food, and household products, posing significant threat to public health, particularly to children and women of childbearing age.
A statement on the report copied to The Spectator in Accra on Monday explained that several commonly used items contained alarmingly high concentrations of lead.
Lead, a heavy metal used in batteries, paints, ceramics, and other industrial materials, is highly toxic even in small quantities.
Experts warn that it can cause irreversible brain damage, developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioural problems in children.
The study stressed that there were no safe levels of lead in the human body.
Traditional eyeliners known locally as kaji kaji or kholi, which many mothers use to brighten their children’s eyes, had contamination levels tens of thousands exceeding permissible limits.
White baked clay, called shire, ayilor, or farinkasa and commonly consumed by pregnant women to ease nausea, also tested positive for lead contamination in about 25 per cent of samples, with the highest rates recorded in the North East and Greater Accra regions.
Ground turmeric, a staple spice used across Ghana, was found to be contaminated in 42 per cent of samples, with particularly high levels in the Greater Accra (84 per cent), Central (75 per cent), and Bono (60 per cent) regions.
Similarly, locally prepared corn-based cereal (Tom Brown) showed lead contamination in 4.4 per cent of samples, mostly from the Eastern Region.
Old plumbing systems and certain cookware were also identified as possible sources of exposure, as lead can leak into drinking water or food during cooking.
The health impacts are severe. Lead exposure can cause anaemia, stunted growth, hearing loss, seizures, and pregnancy complications such as low birth weight and miscarriage.
UNICEF has, therefore, called for immediate national action to address the crisis, calling for public awareness campaigns, stricter enforcement of product safety standards, and routine screening for lead exposure, especially among vulnerable groups.
UNICEF reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Government of Ghana and relevant partners to eliminate lead exposure and safeguard the health of every woman and child.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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