News
What is ‘premium’ about a Ghana card?
Dear Editor,
The National Identification Card otherwise known as the ‘Ghana card’ is supposed to be necessity and not luxury. Every Ghanaian is entitled to it, hence the authority charged to produce the cards must treat it as a public service.
The card, in my opinion, is being treated as a scarce commodity with the National Identification Authority (NIA) acting as private enterprise other than a state institution.
Apart from the challenges citizens had to endure in registering for the card, issuance of the card had delayed until recently when the NIA decided to release them.
Early this week, I overheard the NIA boss saying the authority intends to introduce a “premium service” for individuals who are unable to register for the card during the mass registration.
Per the arrangement, the service would be available after December 2020 where individuals or institutions would have to pay between GH¢ 100.00 and GH¢ 250.00 to acquire the card.
This announcement got me thinking; why should there be a ‘premium’ on a Ghana card? With this, the authority seems to be aiming at making profit which, I think, should not be the case.
I am aware a good number of citizens do not have the card but how many of them can pay this amount after December? Does the NIA intend to treat the Ghana card as a passport or driver’s licence?
I believe the authority must be thinking of making the card more accessible to the public even after the mass registration, and should not be thinking of making profit.
Citizens do not have to spend that much to acquire a Ghana card. We have had a fair share of institutions that have ‘bullied’ us well enough in this regard. The NIA must not join them.
Kakra Ofori
Mampong
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
