... The Ghanaian Police is of no help!
Chicago, IL (Uptown News) -- Mr. Kwasi Amponsah Yeboah, an author, a D.J. and community elder in the Ghanaian community in Chicago had his dreams of returning and settling permanently in his home country , Ghana , shattered when news of armed robbery hit him hard last week.
Mr. Yeboah who has been planning his return to Ghana and contribute his widows mite to his birth country was first notified that the Toyota 4 Runner he sent to Ghana has been stolen. The car was stolen from his house at Mallam, a suburb of the capital, Accra.
His sister went to the nearest police station at Odorkor to report the stolen truck but none of the Police officers at the station will take a report from her because she did not offer them a bribe. She went to the central Police Station in Accra but she was ignored from 8 AM till one of the Police officers she knew from her Sunyani home town saw her around 5 PM before she was assisted to officially report the stolen truck into the police stolen vehicle tracking records.
The truck was finally located after an armed robbery incident at Sunyani where the robbers used the car to rob a bank of 600 million Ghanaian cedis. The Sunyani Police has so far recovered the Toyota truck but are refusing to hand over the truck to the brother of the owner of the vehicle, because he could not grease their palm.
The car which cost the Mr. Yeboah 200 million Ghanaian cedis was sold to the armed robbers for 90 million cedis by his cousin who is on the run.
Out of the three arned robbers who used the truck to rob the bank, only one was arrested; two of them are also on the run.
The authorities in Ghana, a country of about 20 million people , has no clue in combating the surging armed robbery in the impoverished country.
With the impending 50th anniversary celebrations in March next year, many tourists are worried about the rate and audacity at which these robbers attack innocent visitors and citizens.
Armed robbers killed a British national, Mr. John Garett at his residence at Lateh-Akuapem. Italian national, Mr. Roberto Massimo, Managing director of BRM Wood Processing Company was murdered at his North Ola residence in Cape Coast. Armed robbers killed a cargo truck driver, Mr. Alhaji Asshaqu Ibrahim when they attacked traders at Babatokuma, near Kintampo recently. Mr. Stephen Mintah, a father of eight was shot twice in the head because the poor driver could only find 8,000 cedis, less than a dollar, for the armed robbers who had invaded his home!
The clergy in Ghana were not spared by these thugs.Mr. Chester Dzisah and his 12-year old Chester Dzisah, Jnr. were murdered in an attempt to assist a neighbor ,Pastor Owusu Ansah and his family,who were being attacked; several pastors have also been attacked ,including Reverend Robert Dawson-Amoah of Ayofui Anglican Church !
Some of these robbers bolt away from lawful custody in questionable circumstances, the Uptown News learnt .
The police in Sunyani have so far summoned Mr. Yeboah's brother from Accra to pick the truck from custody only to refuse him taking his brother's property from the police premises without any explanation.
Many Ghanain's the Uptown News spoke with were glad that their country is enjoying a relatively peaceful democracy but unanimously agreed that the government must do more to combat the spate of surging armed robberies and bribery in the police service which is adding insult to injury!