So, Wontumi Said He Bought Bulldozers...

So, what’s in the bag today?

• Crime: This one is giving “I’ll explain later” but the courts said, “No, explain now.”

• Crime: Sometimes the tea is hot… but the court says, “Nah, put the kettle down.”

• Crime: Turns out some cars were packing bags for West Africa without telling their real Canadian owners.

• National: Everybody plugged in at once this Detty December, but ECG said ‘relax’.

• Crime: Someone tried to return change for a GH¢38m problem and the AG said, “Nice try.”

• Fact of the Day: December isn’t the last baby you think it is.

• Crime: A newborn went missing after a simple sentence, “I’m taking the baby for an injection.”

• Economic: Gold price climbs above $4,400 to hit record high.

QUICK BYTE

• According to the AG, Wontumi Farms got a GH₵4 million loan from EXIM Bank to buy serious farm machinery i.e. bulldozers, excavators, the whole ‘we’re about to mechanise Ghana’ starter pack. To prove payment, a document was submitted showing Casama Enterprise had been paid. Clean, right? Except EOCO says the document was actually a proforma invoice that had been edited to look like a receipt. Get the full deets in the Deep Dive section.

• An investigative journalist has been legally told to park it…permanently, over allegations involving a private individual. Innocent Samuel Appiah has been from publishing anything now or ever about Cynthia Adjei, a private individual and CEO of Lysaro Group. Plus, a GH¢10,000 bill for good measure. The judge, Justice Nana Brew, said press freedom is real, but it’s not freestyle. If you’ve got allegations, the court says you take them to EOCO or the police. The ruling has people split down the middle: some saying “good, protect privacy,” others whispering “wait… so what happens to investigative journalism now?” Read more

• You’re expecting money for work you actually did. Then COCOBOD calls you like, “Madam, why haven’t you finished the job?” And you’re like, “Finished what? I haven’t even seen the money.” That’s basically how Akua Pomaa’s week went left. Her company, Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited, had a GHS29.5 million COCOBOD contract. Everything was normal… until it wasn’t. According to the AG, somewhere along the line, Kofi Akpaloo allegedly created another company called Pomaaah Ghana Limited. Same name. Same pronunciation. Just one extra “H” doing ninja moves in the corner. Between 2022 and 2024, eight COCOBOD cheques worth over GHS3.1 million were reportedly collected and deposited into this new account instead. Read more

• So Canada said “enough is enough” and ran a two-year sting called Project CHICKADEE, and boom, 306 stolen cars worth about $25 million CAD were rescued mid-escape. These cars were allegedly being dressed up with fake papers, fake VINs, and shipped out like legit cargo. Destination? West Africa, Middle East… basically anywhere but back to their owners. About 20 people were arrested, including Bismark Owusu-Ansah, a 64-year-old Ghanaian living in Brampton. Get the full deets in the Deep Dive section.

• You know that moment when everyone in the house decides to use the bathroom at the same time? That’s what December has been doing to Ghana’s electricity. One minute it’s calm, next thing, sound system on blast, fridge working overtime, rice cooker bubbling, AC humming. GRIDCo looked at the numbers and said, “Yeah… this one is historic.” Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor admitted the obvious: demand is wild right now. But he also assured everyone that lights are staying on. According to him, the pressure is real but the response is realer. Fuel supply for thermal plants is being handled, domestic petroleum production is getting attention, and renewable energy is being pushed.

• In the NSS ghost names scandal, one of the accused pulled up to Attorney-General Dominic Ayine with a calm voice and a wild idea “Let me refund GH¢22 million, we all move on.” The AG listened, blinked twice, and said nope. His point was simple: this isn’t a food joint where you return half the meal and still get a smile. Money back is cute, but court must still see you. According to him, paying some cash and dodging prosecution is not how justice works especially when public money is involved. Read more

• Around 1 a.m. in Tamale, joy turned into chaos real fast. A baby boy was born at One Heart Hospital, and somewhere between congratulations and discharge plans, someone walked into the ward, claimed she was a nurse, said she was taking the baby for an injection… and never came back. Now two nurses, Abubakari Fatima Bintu and Grace Asiedu Mensah and a security guard, Abukari Iddi, are in police custody as DOVVSU hunts for the missing baby. The town is tense, and everyone is asking the same thing: how does a whole human being just disappear from a hospital? Read more

DEEP DIVE

Wontumi Farms & the Curious Case of the Missing Millions

You’re applying for a loan. Bank says, “Show us proof you paid for the equipment.” You say, “Say less,” and submit a document. Everyone nods. Money drops. Vibes are calm. Then later, someone squints at the paper and goes, “Wait… wasn’t this an invoice last time?” That’s basically how this story starts, allegedly.

According to the AG, Wontumi Farms got a GH₵4 million loan from EXIM Bank to buy serious farm machinery i.e. bulldozers, excavators, the whole ‘we’re about to mechanise Ghana’ starter pack. To prove payment, a document was submitted showing Casama Enterprise had been paid. Clean, right? Except EOCO says the document was actually a proforma invoice that had been edited to look like a receipt.

EOCO then did what EOCO does; called the people involved. Casama reportedly said, “Oh no, nobody paid us anything. We only issued an invoice.” No money, no machines, but somehow the loan had already left the chat. Fast forward with interest and penalties, and boom, government says the state is down over GH₵24 million.

Now the AG is saying, “We’re not letting this slide.” Prosecution is coming once paperwork is done-done. The tone is very much “accountability era. Read more

Project CHICKADEE

A car disappears from a driveway in Toronto. Owner is stressed, insurance is stressed, everybody is stressed. Meanwhile the car is somewhere calm, inside a shipping container, bubble-wrapped with fake documents, minding its business like it’s about to relocate abroad. That’s the level this thing had reached. According to Ontario Police, stolen cars weren’t just stolen; they were processed.

It all started small in 2023 when police recovered four cars and thought, “Cool, normal day.” Then they checked again and went, “Wait… why do these cars have new identities?” Investigators say the syndicate was changing VIN numbers, printing clean-looking export papers, and sending cars through major ports like Montréal, Vancouver, and Halifax. Once a car leaves Canada, it’s basically gone gone. Like WhatsApp message deleted for everyone.

Fast-forward to late 2025, and police decided it was time to scatter the whole operation. Raids everywhere: Toronto, Vaughan, Brampton, Scarborough, even Québec. Tactical teams, dogs, the full Netflix documentary setup. They seized cash, guns, forklifts (yes, forklifts), licence plates, key programmers, and enough evidence to make a judge sit upright.

By the end, 306 cars were recovered, and 20 suspects charged. Among those charged was Bismark Owusu-Ansah, facing multiple offences tied to exporting stolen vehicles. 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. Channel1news