Armed Robbers target Hotels

DISCREET INVESTIGATIONS by TRUTH have revealed that armed robbers The modus operandi of these robbers is to strike acquaintance with staff of the Hotels and with their aid break into hotel rooms while lodgers are asleep and make away every valuable item like laptops, phones and money.

Even though the robbers have been at it for sometime now, it got to its crescendo last September 3, 2010 when two lodgers were robbed of valuables at the Lizzie’s Hotel Annex near the Santasi Roundabout in Kumasi. On the night in question An Accra High Court Judge, Mr. Justice Kwame Asiedu checked in at Lizzie’s Hotel while in the city for a conference.

He woke up in the middle of the night to find that his trousers containing the keys to his vehicle parked at the premises and GH¢1,000 had been removed from the room even though it (room) had not been violently broken into. The window to the room which he duly locked from within before he slept had also been opened. When he checked further , it was detected that a laptop and three pen drives as well as other computer accessories containing valuable priceless information and judgments had been stolen. Upon confrontation of the receptionist and the security man, the keys were later seen at the frontage of the hotel. The judge, who suspects the stealing was an in-house mechanism perpetrated by the receptionist and security man has lodged a complaint with the local office of the Ghana Tourist Board as well as demanded the return of his lost items or commence appropriate civil and criminal proceedings to assert his rights.

TRUTH has also established that another lodger, a Philipino lawyer, one Julie Baratita, on official visit to Ghana was also robbed at the same hotel around the same time of the night Justice Asiedu was robbed.

The Manager of the Hotel, Joseph has confirmed the theft in a telephone interview and said management is making efforts at settling the case amicably with the judge. Another robbery case in a similar manner occurred at yet another hotel (name withheld) at Danyame in Kumasi on September 4, 2010. The manager has confirmed this. On Sunday September 20, 2010, 23 year old Constable Frank William Blankson met his untimely death a the Sweet Pub joint near the New Orleans Hotel at Danyame when he was gunned down by unidentified men who were spotted hovering around the premises. A survey at the over 300 hotels in Ashanti indicates that about 80% of robbery cases are not reported in which case management settle the victims to protect their Business at the expense of the safety of lodgers. E N D.

"GHOSTS" SCARE NDC IN B/A ...As peace, unity eludes NDC TRUTH can authenticate that peace and unity has eluded the Brong-Ahafo branch of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), with the eruption of confusion among the executives. Several petitions have been sent to the President Atta Mills to take immediate steps to address the scary tension which has sharply split the party into two factions.

A group which includes the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Regional Youth Organizer, Mahama Seidu a.k.a Maha and the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, Kwasi Oppong Ababio has been accused as the inventors of the division in the party.

In a recent petition written by one Kwabena DC, Adjeimu Zonal chairman of the NDC in the Sunyani East Constituency, the trio has succeeded in dividing the party into two particularly that of Sunyani East, where there are two groups with each group operating its own constituency office.

Kwabena DC alleged that a group which has christened itself as the ‘Clique’ allegedly being led by the Regional Minister and supported by the Municipal Chief Executive, Kwasi Oppong Ababio and the Regional Youth Organizer, Mahama Seidu has hijacked party activities in the region.

However, Mahama Seidu has refuted the allegation, explaining that there are "Ghosts" within the party in the region who hide behind people like Kwabena DC to destroy the political reputation of others for their personal gains.

Maha reacting to the accusations on Ark FM, a Sunyani based local radio station on Thursday, September 30 this year, he stressed that the "Ghost" were rather destroying the peace and unity of the party with their cowardice.

to come out from their hidden places to use the conflict resolution procedures enshrined in the NDC constitution.

According to Mahama Seidu a.k.a Maha, people like Kwabena DC should not allow some groups of cowards within the NDC to use them to destroy the good fortunes of the NDC by writing fictitious petitions against people committed to contribute to the success of the party in the region.

"It is untrue that I am the monarch of all I survey in the region as the petition claim, but people have decided to use such means to disgrace me through Kwabena DC", he stressed.

According to Maha, time would not permit him to explain much about the motive behind the activities of the few NDC "ghosts" who thinks it was the architect of the Regional Minister, MCE and him who has been their obstacle of gaining something from the party.

"I have nothing against Kwabena DC, but he being the branch chairman with a ghost behind him has decided to allow the ghosts to use him as a vessel to destroy the reputation of the trio with the propagation of falsehood", Maha explained.

Mahama Seidu stated that several attempts have been instituted by him and the MCE, Kwasi Oppong Ababio to help resolve the issue of that division at the constituency, but due to the ill-motive of the said "ghosts" within the party the peace and unity have since eluded them. E N D.