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Welcome to the only day that kinda makes you happy but lowkey doesn’t make you happy - like the week is coming to a close but we’re still not there yet. You’ve gotta wait 24 hours more.😂😂
So while we wait for the next 24 hours to officially celebrate, here's a list to while away time with.
National: Why politicians are dodging the galamsey issue like it’s an ex they don’t wanna see.
Crime: House help 1, OSP 0: Cecilia Dapaah’s caution statements released in court drama.
Crime: A soldier and his gang tried to pull off a hostage situation in Ghana, but the kidnappee had other plans—and a phone.
Crime: When life gives you freedom, don’t trade it for copper—unless you’re Geoffrey Obuobi.
Fact of the Day: Does size really matter?
Politics: Election day or fight night? NCCE drops major warning on voter rage.
National: Ghana's Gh₵4.9 billion vanishing act.
Health: No fufu, no Funerals: Ada goes on a food lockdown to battle Cholera.
Politics: More beats, less substance: Sulemana Braimah on 2024 campaign noise.
QUICK BYTE
5 people pulled off a kidnap-and-robbery plot—except, in this case, the masterminds didn’t count on the Dutch national making a sneaky distress call. It all started when WOI Elorm John Ahiakpor, a soldier with 24 years in service, and four accomplices allegedly kidnapped Lodewijk Frederikus after a shady land deal went south. Ransom demands flew, but the plan collapsed when the police swooped in. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below
It’s election szn, and all the political parties are out there, shaking hands, kissing babies, and avoiding the one issue everyone’s side-eyeing—galamsey. It's like that one chore you keep pushing off ‘cause you know it’s gonna take forever to deal with. Prof. Kwame Karikari didn’t mince words when he spilled the tea on why the bigwigs are staying quiet: they’re scared of losing votes. Apparently, it’s easier to keep the crowd happy with promises of "better days" than to tackle illegal mining. After all, some of the top dawgs in politics might be secretly vibing with the galamsey cash flow. Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.
Bro, imagine being two weeks out of jail and already pulling another heist? That’s exactly what went down with Geoffrey Obuobi, who couldn't even wait for his post-prison glow-up before snatching up some copper cables from ECG. He got busted again, and this time he's headed back to spend six months thinking about why copper’s not the life upgrade he needed. Read more in the Deep Dive Section.
In a live courtroom showdown, Patience Botwe, former house help to Cecilia Dapaah, has secured a win against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). She’s been granted access to Dapaah’s caution and charge statements for her defense. With the stakes high (we're talking big money theft allegations), Patience's team argued that these docs are crucial to poke holes in Dapaah and hubby’s story. The judge? Totally on board. But sorry, no interview recordings just yet—maybe in the sequel. Read more
Imagine election day—voting lines, thumbprints, a bit of jollof on the side, right? But nope, according to the NCCE, some voters are out here ready to turn election day into fight night. For real, people are saying they’d rather throw down to defend party pride than trust the system to play fair. It’s like everyone’s channeling their inner action movie star, except this ain’t the blockbuster we want to see. NCCE’s Chair, Kathleen Addy, didn’t hold back. Sis straight-up said it’s worrying to hear folks openly admit they’re down for election beef. She’s like, “Yo, how did we get here?!” Read more
FACT OF THE DAY
Size doesn’t matter in the brain. There is no evidence that a larger brain is smarter than a smaller brain.
Gh₵4.9 billion just disappeared into thin air. No, it wasn’t magic—just good ol’ financial irregularities doing their thing. According to the fiscal recklessness report, Ghana’s Ministries are out here playing fast and loose with the cash. And when we say “Ministries,” the Ministry of Finance is leading the pack, wearing the fiscal crown of recklessness. You know it’s bad when almost 90% of the mess can be traced back to them. It’s like the government’s trying to collect revenue with a sieve, and instead of getting the cash, they’re losing more than they’re making. The whole system feels like it’s been hacked by laziness. Read more
Thanks to a cholera outbreak that’s sent over 200 people straight to the hospital, District Chief Executive Sampson Tetteh is shutting down all food and drinks at funerals, weddings, and pretty much any gathering where fufu and pepper soup are the stars of the show.. So no mourning Sis Mamle with food to keep your tears company. Yup, You might want to pack snacks in your bag if you’re attending any events in Ada, or it’s going to be a loooong day of chatting without that meat pie break. Read more
We’ve all been there—left out of a group chat and wondering why. Well, Suhum MP Kwadjo Asante can relate on a whole new level. The drama kicked off when Asante filed to run as an independent candidate for the 2024 elections, and poof—he was promptly yeeted out of the NPP Caucus WhatsApp platform. Talk about a swift exit! The person behind the eject button? None other than NPP Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh. After Speaker Bagbin dropped the bomb by declaring Asante’s seat vacant, he was mysteriously added back to the chat. No apology, no explanation—just vibes. And now, rumors are swirling that Asante's pulled out of the race, but don’t get it twisted, he’s still running. Read more
Campaign season vibes or actual plans? According to Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the 2024 election campaigns are heavy on catchy songs but light on real policy talk. Speaking at a lecture marking the anniversary of Anthony Akoto Ampaw, Braimah pointed out that politicians seem more focused on dropping bangers than tackling critical issues like illegal mining (galamsey). Both major parties are avoiding galamsey talk, afraid of losing votes in a tight race. Can vibes alone win an election? Read more
DEEP DIVE
Kidnap-and-robbery gone wrong
A Dutch national, Lodewijk Frederikus, lands in Ghana for what he thinks is just a chill trip to finalize a land purchase with his buddy, Silas Amewonye. Little did he know, things were about to get real messy, real fast. Silas, along with his crew—Farouk Nuodio, Daniel “Aljazeera” Yeboah, Michael Nana Addo, and the real plot-twist player, WOI Elorm John Ahiakpor, a soldier—had something entirely different in mind. The day after Lodewijk’s arrival, things started getting hella sketchy, and by October 20th, our guy Lodewijk was ready to bounce.
But, Silas and his crew were not about to let him go that easily. Nope. Instead, they pulled off a full-on lock-him-in-the-room-and-demand-a-ransom type of move, asking for a cool 15,000 euros for his release. I mean, who even does that? After some intense negotiating—because even in the middle of a kidnapping, you gotta haggle, right?—Lodewijk managed to bring the amount down to 8,000 euros. But it didn’t end there. To up the drama, these guys dragged him at gunpoint to an ATM like it was a scene from Money Heist, forcing him to cough up 6,000 cedis while they waited for the euros to hit their account.
But just when you thought things couldn’t get any wilder, Lodewijk pulled the ultimate boss move. He somehow managed to make a distress call to the police while being held hostage! The cops came through with a perfectly timed rescue, arresting the whole crew and saving Lodewijk from what could’ve been a nightmare-ending. When they interrogated the crew, they straight-up admitted to the whole thing. Read more
Galamsey is the hot potato of Ghanaian politics
You know how it is when you’re talking to that one friend who’s good at dodging accountability—always has an excuse for why they haven’t paid you back? Well, that’s basically our political leaders when it comes to galamsey. Sure, they'll talk about development and democracy (ya know, the usual buzzwords), but the second you bring up illegal mining, it’s like, “Oh, look! A distraction!” But hey, maybe they just don’t wanna lose votes. It’s like trying to rock a boat without falling in—and that boat is full of gold. Literally.
And can we talk about how this isn’t just some back-burner issue? Prof. Karikari made it clear—this is Ghana’s 4th Republic, and we’re voting again for the 9th time. The streets are filled with campaign posters, and the promises are flowing like a TikTok trend. But in reality? The silence on galamsey is deafening. I mean, sure, fighting illegal mining doesn’t make you the life of the party, but ignoring it? That’s like hoping nobody notices the house is on fire. Spoiler: Everyone can see the flames.
Prof. Karikari hit the nail on the head when he said we need to question the state of our democracy. If politicians are more concerned with winning votes than fixing major problems, what does that say about where we’re headed? It’s like pretending the sink isn’t leaking until the entire kitchen floods—at some point, you gotta stop ignoring the drip. And if our leaders don’t tackle galamsey, we might be looking at a future where the only gold left is in politicians’ back pockets. Read more
What a Shiny Copper Comeback
Geoffrey Obuobi, fresh outta jail after doing a solid one-year stretch, probably enjoying his freedom for like... ten seconds. You know, chilling, breathing in that sweet fresh air, and boom—two weeks later, man’s back in the game, only this time it's with a sack full of ECG copper cables. Yeah, dude went full-on cable bandit mode like copper was going out of style. I mean, the only thing shinier than his freedom was apparently those cables.
It was a regular Tuesday (Oct 16, to be exact), Geoffrey’s strolling through Lartebiokoshie with his sack of ‘borrowed’ goods, thinking he’s about to hit some kinda jackpot. Enter Seidu Amadu, a resident who spots Geoffrey acting sketchier than a broken GPS. Seidu pulls a classic ‘what’s-in-the-bag?’ moment, and before he can even finish asking, Geoffrey pulls a Usain Bolt, trying to dip. Big mistake, bro. Amadu hops on his motorbike, and the whole neighbourhood’s in on the chase.
When they finally tackle Geoffrey, they open the bag like, “What’s this guy got?” and voilà, it’s 240 copper cables and a trusty ol’ pair of pliers. Nothing says “I’m up to no good” like having a sack full of stolen metal and tools to match, right? Geoffrey just finished doing time for the same thing! Man, talk about sticking to your hustle. Unfortunately for him, though, his new plan didn’t exactly spark joy.
So now, Geoffrey's back behind bars, sentenced to six months of hard labour. Gotta say, it’s kinda wild. Instead of living that ‘reformed ex-con’ life, this guy’s out here reliving the Copper Chronicles. Read more
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