News
Redemption at last! …as taxi driver freed after wrongfully serving 12 years in prison
A taxi driver who was jailed 45 years by the Tema Circuit Court on November 25, 2014, on trumped up charges has finally gained his freedom after spending 12 years in the Maximum Security Prison at Nsawam in the Eastern Region.
The convict, Kwame Ameyome, who was 28 years at the time of his sentence was asked by a businessman to take him from Accra to Prampram at GH¢20.00 but upon arrival at his destination, the passenger (businessman) rather turned round and accused the cabbie of attempting to rob him of his 39,000 dollars.
But for the intervention of the Public Defence Division of the Legal Aid Commission, which took up the matter before a three-member Court of Appeal – panel of judges led by Mr Justice Victor Ofoe at Ho last Friday, the taxi driver would have still been languishing in prison.
The freedom of Mr Ameyome was through the instrumentality of Mr Nelson Mawutor Kporha of the Legal Aid Commission in the Volta Region who was his defence counsel.
The facts as presented were that a businessman by name Ben Mensah, hired Kwame Ameyome to take him in his taxi from Nungua to Prampram and agreed to pay the taxi driver (Ameyome) GH¢20.00
Instead of paying the cabbie the agreed fare, the businessman, allegedly drew a dagger and chopped the cabbie’s ear off and also inflicted deep cuts on his face.
Ameyome who was bleeding profusely staggered back into his vehicle and managed to drive to the Tema General Hospital where he spent two weeks on admission before he was discharged.
His ordeal did not end there as the assailant smartly reported to the police that the cabbie attempted to rob him of his foreign currency i.e. USD 39,000.
Based on that false complaint, Ameyome was sentenced to 45 years imprisonment by the Tema Circuit Court, presided by Madam Lorenda Owusu (as she then was), on November 25, 2014.
At the hearing, Ameyome who had already spent six years behind bars on remand and who did not understand the seriousness of the offence for which he was charged, pleaded guilty with explanation, expecting a lenient sentence from the court, because he had no legal representation.
In his explanation, Ameyome told the court that he only stretched his hand towards the businessman’s wallet which was on his lap to take out the GH¢20 he was supposed to pay him, when it became clear that the businessman was not willing to pay the money.
His sentence was later reduced to 20 years on appeal at a Koforidua High Court, presided by Mr Justice Kenneth A. Kwabi on March 2, 2016.
Finally it took the intervention of the Public Defence Division of the Legal Aid Commission for Ameyome to walk free from the Nsawam Maximum Security Prison.
A three-member Court of Appeal panel sitting at Ho, chaired by Mr Justice Victor Ofoe last week Friday upheld the submission by Defence/Appellant’s counsel, Mr Nelson Mawutor Kporha who argued that the cabbie did not have a weapon and that it was rather the complainant who pulled a dagger to inflict injuries on the appellant before it turned into a fight between them.
It emerged that the cabbie was provoked by the complainant’s refusal to pay him the fare and that the complainant’s claim that he had USD39, 000 in his wallet was doubtful as that was mentioned only for the first time in court, although that was not contained in the facts.
The Court of Appeal panel said that Ameyome had suffered a miscarriage of justice which had adversely affected him.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Ho
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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