News
Police brutality leaves 67-year-old farmer partly ‘paralysed’
A 67-YEAR-OLD farmer at Kpenoe, near Ho, Mr Emmanuel Agakpe Homenya is now left ‘partly paralysed’ after he was allegedly subjected to severe beatings by a police officer at the Deme Police Station in the Volta Region.
The incident, according to the victim, took place on September 15, at the Deme Police Station.
The Spectator gathered that the farmer went to his farm as usual that day but realised that someone had erected pillars on the farm, suggesting that an unscrupulous land leader had sold the land to an unsuspecting developer.
Without any hesitation, the senior citizen pulled the pillars down on his 21-acre farm.
Later, a policeman from the Deme Police Station came to his house at Kpenoe and instructed him to follow him to the Charge Office.
The farmer said that although he did not resist arrest, the officer insisted on handcuffing and dragging him to the station.
He said that on reaching the station, the officer took a whip and lashed him until he sustained multiple wounds on his back.
“I asked him what was my crime and he told me that even people like Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings were tortured and their nails removed from their fingers before they became Heads of State.”
The victim was later rushed to the Ho Teaching Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
When he turned up in the Newsroom of this paper at Ho a few days ago to narrate his ordeal, Mr Homenya was unable to walk steadily and was assisted by his daughter.
He struggled to speak with the body shaking.
Investigations by The Spectator revealed that the buyer of the land (name withheld) was not in the country at the time, and it was rather the caretaker of the land who engaged the police to torture the farmer.
The identity of the police officer was not established at the time of filing this report but the Volta Regional Police Commander, DCOP Edward Kwateng has given the assurance that all was set for a thorough enquiry into the matter.
He said that the police officer, when found culpable, would face the disciplinary measures of the Ghana Police Service.
DCOP Kwateng warned that any unruly officer whose conduct dragged the image of the police service in the mud would suffer the consequences.
“We will definitely get to the bottom of this matter,” he gave assurance.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Ho
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
