News

Birthday on a ship!

Kutsoati (middle) being assisted by other military

officers onboard to cut the birthday cake.

Birthday celebrations have undoubtedly been idolised as special days by many people and celebrated to mark their days of entry into this world.

It is usually characterised by different forms of celebrations, partying, gifting and well wishes from loved ones including colleagues, family members and friends.

As special as it may be to the celebrant, some are usually planned and even preceded by pre-birthday photo-shoot and a symbolic celebration to mark the day.

But different situations may alter that popularly adopted way of birthday celebrations for some people and one of such was the birthday of a Ghana Navy Officer, Lieutenant Commander Frederick Kutsoati.

Lt. Cdr Kutsoati had to celebrate his birthday on a Navy Ship for the second time since he joined the Ghana Navy 16 years ago not because he chose to, but was rather unable to decouple the two birthdays from duty calls.

His birthday fell on March 20 during a four-day national assignment onboard a Ghana Navy Ship (GNS) Volta to the Equator on March 19-24 which obviously captured his day of birth.

The four-day national assignment by the Navy of the Ghana Armed Forces dubbed ‘Exercise Sea Lion 2024’ was to test the endurance and combat readiness of selected navy ships; GNS Volta and Ankobra in the company of a United States (US) Navy Ship.

Speaking to The Spectator newspaper onboard GNS Volta, after celebrating his birthday almost at the Equator, Lt. Cdr Kutsoati said he was privileged to have celebrated his birthday onboard a warship for the second time with the first one in 2010 onboard an American Navy Ship on a rescue course also to the Equator.

According to him, it was fascinating and intriguing to combine a national assignment with such an equally important day in his life though away from home and his close family.

For the reason of not just a celebration onboard a ship but during a 340 nautical miles voyage to the center of the world, Lt. Cdr. Kutsoati described it as rare privilege as such open birthday celebration during a voyage to the center of the earth was pertinent to only the Naval arm of the Ghana Armed Forces.

As a logistics officer, Lt. Cdr kutsoati acknowledged the Captain of GNS Volta Ship, Lt Cdr Samuel Sabbah Sarbah for the opportunity to celebrate his birthday onboard the ship clarifying that, such privileges were usually the preserve of officers of the organic unit to the Ship.

He used the opportunity to encourage all stakeholders including the citizenry to support the work of the Navy to safeguard the country’s territorial waters while also securing the nation’s maritime domain.

From Ken Afedzi, Tema

News

Committee probing petitions against Chief Justice to begin hearings tomorrow

The Committee set up by President John Dramani Mahama to inquire into three petitions filec against the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, will commence hearings tomorrow, Thursday May 15, 2025.

The five-member Committee chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang of the Supreme Court, was set up by the President in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 constitution and in consultation with the Council of State, following a determination of a prima facie case against the Chief Justice.

The committee will sit three times a week and present their recommendations to the President upon completion of their work.

It would be recalled that President John Dramani Mahama recently suspended Chief Justice following the establishment of a prima facie case in response to three separate petitions seeking her removal from office.

News

38-year-old man gets life imprisonment for killing Assemblies of God pastor in 2018

After close to seven years of trial, a seven-member jury on Wednesday, May 14, returned a guilty verdict in the murder case involving the killing of the Senior Pastor of the Central Assemblies of God church at Tema in 2018.

The convict, Francis Nabegmado, a relative of the deceased, inflicted a fatal knife wound on Rev. Dr. David Nabegmado on December 30, 2018, after alleging that the senior pastor was a false preacher who engaged in idol worship and human sacrifices.

After an hour of summing up by the judge, Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, the jury retired briefly and returned with a unanimous guilty verdict.

Based on the unanimous verdict of the jurors who had previously studied the statements of the five witnesses called by the prosecution, and listened to the summing up process, the judge sentenced the 38-year-old to life imprisonment.

When he was offered an opportunity to comment on the verdict, the convict told the judge that he wanted to go home to meet his family.

“My Lady, I want to see my family, and I want to be taken to Yendi”.

When the judge told him she couldn’t make such an order for him to go and see his family in Yendi, the convict forcefully said, “I insist”.

Francis, who will now spend the rest of his life at the Nsawam medium security prison, had told the court throughout the trial that the decision to attack his uncle, Rev. Nebegmado, was driven by insanity, but that did not save him from receiving a life sentence.

Speaking briefly after the sentencing, Senior Pastor of the Assemblies of God church at Tema Community 4, Rev. Emmanuel Kwesi Ofori, said the church has been waiting for this closure for the past seven years and will soon issue an official statement.

Source: Myjoyonline.com