Gari in the Streets, Ganja in the Sheets!

“And with that…the weekend has come to an end. And ‘The Monday’ has just started”.

Hope yours is off to a great start!

Here are some stories to take hold body as you go along.

• Crime: When gari powder becomes a disguise for a million-pound weed haul, you know things are about to get… sticky.

• Crime: Travel on the Bolga-Tamale highway turned deadly—roadblocks, gunfire, and 8 people unalived.

• National: Because nothing says we got this like a full-force combo of police and military showing up on Bawku’s doorstep.

• Politics: MP Ablakwa is urging Ghanaians to pocket NPP cash but hit them where it hurts—at the ballot box.

• Fact of the Day: Ever felt like the treadmill at the gym is low-key torture? Turns out, it used to literally be torture!

• Politics: NAPO’s like, “Vote NPP if you don’t want to play musical chairs with the lights!”

• Politics: Campaign rally or action movie? Shots fired in Agona Swedru leaves one injured.

• National: Sunon Asogli's got ECG sweating over that $259M debt, and it’s all feeling like reality TV—just minus the cameras.

• Business: Ghana’s December countdown isn’t just for the holidays; IMF might just gift us a $360M boost.

QUICK BYTE

• Four Ghanaians thought they’d get clever and sneak £4.3 million worth of cannabis into the UK, hiding it in sacks of gari (yes, gari—the one we know). But the National Crime Agency was way ahead, sniffing out the goods at Tilbury Docks, just before the bags could make it to Essex. Let’s just say the real stuff didn’t make the cut, and the dummy bags were shipped instead. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below

• You’re on a peaceful road trip, vibing to some Afrobeats, when suddenly—bam! Roadblock. Not your usual "check your license" stop, but one where random gunmen are out asking for names like it's some twisted roll call. Eight unfortunate travelers didn’t make it past that blockade, and two cars got torched in the chaos. Talk about a journey that’s straight out of a nightmare. Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.

• Chris Arthur’s team is just trying to get home after a rally in Otinkorang. They roll up on a crowd of Cynthia Morrison’s fans at Agona Nyankrom, and things get… intense. Next thing you know, bang! A gunshot rings out, hitting Arthur’s campaign manager, Haruna Rashid, right in the ribs. The police are on the case, but Chris Arthur’s crew is pretty shaken up—and, understandably, pretty mad. As for Cynthia Morrison’s team? No word yet, but they’re probably just as rattled. Read more

• Bawku's been a bit of a hotspot lately, and the bigwigs in uniform are taking no chances. Cue the Police and Armed Forces teaming up like it’s a Marvel movie. They’re everywhere now, from Bawku itself to the Bolga-Tamale highway, and they’re flexing some serious “we mean business” energy. Apparently, they’re all about keeping things chill, making sure residents feel safe, and that those cars on the highway keep moving smoothly—no traffic, no trouble. Read more

• MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is on a roll, calling out the NPP for allegedly trying to make it rain cash to sway voters. According to Ablakwa, the NPP’s playing Santa Claus with envelopes, hoping that money might equal loyalty. But he’s confident Asawase residents will “take the cash but reject the plan.” In his speech, Ablakwa didn’t just stop at the cash drama—he went off on the NPP’s VP candidate, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, calling him a “disaster”. Read more

• It’s a chill Friday night, you’re deep into Netflix, and boom—dumsor strikes. But hey, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, aka NAPO, says we can avoid all that with one simple move: stick with the NPP. Chatting with nursing students, NAPO gave full credit to the NPP for keeping Ghana’s lights on and took some spicy jabs at Mahama’s era of “dum, dum, dum” energy flops. NAPO’s argument? Reliable power means no more surprise darkness while you’re in the middle of your favorite show or trying to study. So, if you’re a fan of steady kanea, he says you know what to do come December 7. Read more

• Sunon Asogli Power has hit pause on their operations over a whopping $259 million debt that ECG’s been dragging its feet on. Our Finance Minister is out here like, “Yo, we were working out an agreement!” But mid-negotiation, Asogli switches up their terms. It’s giving "Trust Issues". Now, ECG’s left scrambling, and the rest of us are side-eyeing this plot twist. Minister Dr. Amin Adam is kinda fuming, accusing Asogli of straight-up bad faith. And it’s not helping that all this is happening with elections around the corner. Read more

• So, mark your calendar—December 2 is looking spicy! That’s when the IMF Board meets to decide if they’ll greenlight $360 million for Ghana, aimed at keeping our cedi on its best behavior and fortifying reserves. This cash flow is part of a $1.92 billion package, and our Finance Minister is out here pitching like there’s no tomorrow. Read more

DEEP DIVE

Busted Gari Gangs

Four guys from Ghana hatch this wild plan, sneaking £4.3 million worth of weed into the UK in sacks of, wait for it… gari powder. That’s right. While gari might be known as a go-to carb fix back home, they thought it’d be the perfect cover for their leafy stash. Unfortunately for them, the National Crime Agency (NCA) was onto them quicker than you can say "loading dock." Their container hit Tilbury Docks in December, but before the boys could celebrate, NCA’s finest swapped the real stuff for dummies and tracked the gang all the way to their North London hideout.

Daniel Yeboah, leading the charge with his fake signature, and Edward Adjei got the cops on their tail as soon as the plan fell through. Then there was Kristoffen Baidoo, who skipped trial like a true action-movie fugitive, and Kwaku Bonsu, who decided to peace out before sentencing. But the law? It’s not the forgiving type. Both Baidoo and Bonsu got sentenced in absentia—ten years and seven years, respectively, and now the hunt’s on to bring them back.

And so, Busted Gari Gangs might just be the cautionary tale of the year. What started as an “international import” move wrapped in Ghana’s finest starch has landed our four adventurers in a very different setting—the British jail cells. Read more

Highway Horror Story

One survivor of the Bolga-Tamale highway ambush story is enough to give anyone chills: they were rolling through Walewale, jamming to the radio, when suddenly it’s all “Who are you, and why are you here?” Not exactly the road trip Q&A anyone signs up for. These gunmen had set up shop, picking out targets in some Hunger Games-style checkpoint, with zero police in sight to step in. The Bawku conflict, which had been quiet for a minute, seems to have resurfaced in the loudest, most chaotic way.

Now, the Ghana Police Service is on high alert, with assurances of tighter security along the highway. They’re rolling out police and military patrols to prevent another highway horror story, but let’s be real—after this, anyone with travel plans on that route is probably double-checking Google Maps for detours.

This attack near Walewale on the Bolga-Tamale highway has left everyone shook. The Ghana Police Service is saying they’ve got it handled now, with military forces stepping in. But safe to say, nobody’s taking that route without a side-eye at every car up ahead. Read more

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NEWS SOURCES

Today’s stories are curated from:

1. www.myjoyonline.com

2. www.ghanaweb.com

3. www.citinewsroom.com

4. www.norvanreports.com

5. www.channel1new.com