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Thugs extort, rape market women at “No man’s land”

Thugs have taken over the various unapproved paths and stretches of ‘no man’s land’ between Ghana and Togo, intercepting traders who flout the border closure to either rape them or to extort money from them.

They usually target market women from the Ghana side of the border who continue crossing the border into Togo day and night to buy vegetables in large quantities for resale in Ghana, in spite of the official closure of the frontier because they are cheaper there.

Some of the gangsters are raking a fortune from assisting traders to cross the border and charging them big money.

For the past two weeks, however, the cross-border business by the market women from Ghana has fallen drastically as a result of the persistent threats of rape by the gangsters along the unapproved routes.

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One trader from Ho, who spoke to The Spectator on anonymous grounds, said that the thugs often asked the illegal cross-border traders to choose between paying huge fees for assistance to cross the frontier or get ready for gang-rape in the bush.

Some of the traders, she said, have now folded up their businesses due to the danger along the unproved paths.

According to other traders, some of their colleagues, who fall victim to the criminals along the unapproved border routes cannot report the matter to the police because “it all takes place on no man’s land.”

” We were so embarrased to report these incidents to our families and law enforcement agencies, “they lamented.

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Giving details, they said. The hoodlums would extort various amounts of money from them and those who could not pay, were dragged into the bush and raped.

Senior immigration officers stationed at the various border posts confirmed the story.

They said the activities of the tugs, if not checked quickly, would become uncontrollable.  

Worse still, they said that the traders were afraid of getting arrested for attempting to flout the border if they report the matter  to the police on either side of the border.

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Meanwhile, there are growing reports of a large number of Ghanaians trapped and distressed in their homes located behind the gates of the immigration check points which are located far away from the frontier.

This was evident last Saturday when members of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs visited the border town of Leklebi-Kame and other communities along the frontier.

At Honuta in the Ho-West District, the traditional authorities expressed misgivings over the activities of some organised thugs who were terrorising the natives and calling them ‘Togolese’.

At the Honuta Border Post, it emerged that dealers in food items such as cooking oil from Togo often left them on the border for the customers to pick without crossing the frontier.

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This reporter was at the Ghana side of the frontier when two motorcycles arrived to deliver big gallons of cooking oil at the gate separating the two countries, before riding back into Togo.

Pix: xah 1

Caption: The Honuta border

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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.

This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.

The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture. 

“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”

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Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.

The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.

According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.

He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”

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“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.

The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.

According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”

A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.

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Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.

Story By : Vivian Arthur

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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal

Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.


Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.

Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.

Here are the results in Zone Two

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