Connect with us

Crime

Lithovit fertiliser report not reliable – Dr Samuel Bamford

Published

on

• Dr Opuni
• Dr Opuni

A research scientist at the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, Atomic Energy, Ghana, Dr Samuel Bam­ford, yesterday told the High Court in Accra that the Papafio Quartey report on lithovit fertiliser cannot be relied on.

He said the report was unfit for purpose and not worth the piece of paper it was written on.

Mr Quartey was one of the scientists the state assigned to con­duct scientific analysis on lithovit fertiliser, the subject of prosecution involving Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana COCOBOD and Mr Seidu Agongo, a business­man.

The report made adverse find­ings against the fertiliser which had the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Ye­boah Dame, prosecuting Dr Opuni and Mr Agongo.

Dr Bamford said on the second day of his testimony before the court presided over by Justice Abo­agye Tandoh, as a defence witness.

Last week Tuesday, Dr Bam­ford told the court that the Papafio report was questionable.

Today, when Mr Samuel Codjoe, the counsel Dr Opuni asked the witness to rate the Papafio report, Dr Bamford said he would score the report one over 10.

The case has been adjourned to January 28 for continuation.

The COCOBOD trial had dragged on for more than six years. Justice Clement Jackson Honyenugah, a retired Supreme Court Judge, was the first trial judge until he went on retirement.

The case docket was lat­er assigned to Justice Gyimah Boadi, who at the outset decided to conduct fresh trial because of what he considered as “suspicions and allegations” from the parties concerned.

Justice Boadi was subsequently transferred and the case was as­signed to Justice Aboagye Tandoh.

Before then, the Attorney-Gen­eral and Minister of Justice, Godred Yeboah Dame, appealed the deci­sion of Justice Boadi to conduct fresh trial and later in a ruling, a three-member panel of judges overturned the decision to start the trial afresh.

In March 2018, the Attor­ney-General charged Dr Opuni and Agongo with 27 counts for alleged­ly engaging in illegalities that caused financial loss of GH¢271.3 million to the state, and led to the distri­bution of sub-standard fertiliser to cocoa farmers.

Agongo is alleged to have used fraudulent means to sell substan­dard fertiliser to COCOBOD for onward distribution to cocoa farm­ers, while Dr Opuni is accused of facilitating the act by not allowing Agongo’s products to be tested and certified, as required by law.

The two accused persons have pleaded not guilty to all the 27 charges and are currently on bail.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Crime

Police arrest two suspects in connection with electrical cables 

Published

on

The Central Regional Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with the transportation of some electricity cables believed to be the property of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). 

The suspects, Mohammed Sulemana and Iddrisu Basit, both driver’s mates of an articulated truck, were arrested on April 1, 2025 at Gomoa Awombrew in the Central Region.

The truck, with registration number GC 7410-11,  loaded with 28 rims of ECG cables was found parked at Gomoa Awombrew. 

Officials from ECG, led by their Operations Officer, Mr. David Ackom, confirmed ownership of the cables but stated that no such consignment was expected in the area. 

The truck, remains under police guard at Gomoa Awombrew while efforts are ongoing to arrest the truck driver, Zibo Imoro, who is currently on the run.  

Investigation continues.

Continue Reading

Crime

Choreographer jailed for defiling 7 girls

Published

on

jail

The Twifo-Hemang District Court, presided over by Mr Maxwell Ofori Kpodo, has sentenced a 50-year-old man, Eric Adu Amissah, to six years imprisonment for sexually assaulting seven girls at Twifo-Heman in the Heman Lower Denkyira District. 

The victims, all minors between the ages of six and seven, are pupils at a cultural dance school operated by the convict.

According to Chief Inspector Joseph Kussah, the Prosecutor, Adu Amissah, a choreography teacher, exploited his position as a cultural dance instructor to abuse the trust of his young pupils.

The convict allegedly used manipulative tactics, including buying soft drinks and toffees for the children and later apply lubricant on his penis and fingers to facilitate the abuses.

The act was detected after the girls fell sick, one after the other and were sent to the hospital by their parents where they admitted that they have been defiled by Adu Amissah.

Adu Amissah, according to the prosecutor, jumped bail for six months after being granted bail during the initial stage of the investigation.

However, through the vigorous efforts of the Central North Regional Police Cyber Unit, the convict was located and arrested at Adenta in the Greater Accra Region.

On March 5, 2025, Adu Amissah was brought before the Twifo-Hemang District Magistrates Court to face seven counts of indecent assault, and he pleaded guilty to all counts.

He was, therefore, convicted on his own plea by the court. –GNA

Continue Reading

Crime

NACOC arrests long-time drug target

Published

on

An intelligence-led operation by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) on Tuesday,  March 18, 2025, resulted in the arrest of a 56-year-old Nigerian, Uchechukwu Chima at Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra. 

 A statement signed by the Acting Director, Public Affairs and International Relations,Francis Opoku Amoah a search conducted by the NACOC team at the suspect’s hideout uncovered substances suspected to be narcotic drugs. 

He added that field tests conducted on the suspected substance proved positive for cocaine and heroin, both narcotic drugs. 

The suspected narcotic substances, with a total weight of about 192kg of cocaine and 0.42kg of heroin, are estimated at a street value of Two Million, One Hundred and Twenty-one Thousand, Six Hundred and Sixty United States Dollars (US$2.1 Million). 

The suspect, Uchechukwu Chima who has been a target for NACOC for some time now, is noted to be the brain behind some seizures/arrests made by NACOC in the past.

NACOC, by this seizure and arrest, has taken this substantial quantity of drugs from the street, saving millions of lives of people who would have otherwise perished from abusing these hard drugs.

NACOC remains committed to making Ghana an unprofitable destination for drug trafficking and thus protecting the safety and well-being of all Ghanaians and the international community.

Continue Reading

Trending