Ghanaian police will stop regularly pulling over drivers to inspect vehicle documents starting in September 2026, under a new traffic enforcement system that relies on cameras instead of physical stops.
Cameras will capture traffic offences such as driving without insurance or failing to wear a seatbelt. Officers will review the footage, and motorists found to have broken the rules will receive fines directly on their mobile phones.
The government says the change will streamline road checks and help reduce opportunities for roadside bribery.
The shift marks a significant move toward technology-based enforcement on Ghana’s roads, aiming to make the process more efficient while addressing long-standing concerns about corruption during traditional checkpoints.
Ghanaian rap icon Sarkodie is set to stage his highly anticipated annual concert, Rapperholic 26, on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
The event, which has become one of the biggest dates on the Ghanaian music calendar, will see the multiple award-winning artist perform at the iconic venue in the Ashanti Region capital. Promotional materials for the show feature a striking black-and-white portrait of Sarkodie wearing dual Jesus-head pendants, overlaid with bold yellow typography announcing the date and location.
Rapperholic has grown into a major platform for Sarkodie to deliver high-energy performances, often joined by special guests from across the African music scene. Fans of the artist, widely regarded as one of Africa’s leading rappers, are expected to pack the stadium for what organizers are billing as another landmark edition of the long-running series.
Tickets and further details are expected to be released in the coming months as the countdown to October 24 begins.
Accra — Ghanaian authorities have seized approximately $625,000 and an additional $440,000 in cash linked to suspected drug trafficking, as part of an intensified campaign targeting not only dealers but the financial networks and assets that sustain the illegal trade.
Officials reported that 73 assets have been traced in connection with the operations, while about 19 kilograms of gold were confiscated in cases involving suspected narcotics-related money laundering.
The seizures form part of broader enforcement efforts. Between January 2025 and July 2026, security agencies recovered more than 8,500 kilograms of illegal drugs along with 45.4 million Tramadol tablets. These operations resulted in 217 arrests and 165 prosecutions.
Authorities emphasized that the strategy focuses on disrupting the entire supply chain by freezing funds, recovering valuable assets, and prosecuting those involved in both the trafficking and the laundering of proceeds. The dual approach of interdicting drugs and following the money aims to weaken the economic incentives driving the trade.
Further details on the specific locations of the cash and gold seizures, the identities of those arrested, or the status of individual prosecutions were not immediately released. Officials indicated that investigations remain ongoing as agencies continue to track additional linked assets.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has announced that it will assess allegations of extortion and related misconduct levelled by Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi against Minority Leader in Parliament Alexander Afenyo-Markin..
According to the OSP, it has received a joint petition from two individuals as well as two separate petitions from other persons, all relating to the claims. The anti-corruption body said it will carefully evaluate the petitions and, based on its findings, determine whether further investigations are necessary.
The move follows public statements by Gyamfi accusing Afenyo-Markin of involvement in the alleged misconduct. No further details on the specific nature of the petitions or a timeline for the assessment have been provided by the OSP at this stage.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor is expected to communicate the outcome of its preliminary review in due course.
The Western Regional Police Command has arrested five suspects in connection with the robbery and murder of 40-year-old gold buyer Seth Kobina at Agona Fie, near Agona Nkwanta in the Western Region.
On 20 August 2026 at about 8:00 p.m., armed men attacked a gold-buying shop and shot the owner in the chest. He was rushed to Agona Nkwanta Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Preliminary investigations and CCTV footage identified 29-year-old Emmanuel Amponsah, alias “Vandam,” as the alleged leader of the gang.
Amponsah was arrested the next day, 21 August 2026, at a guest house in Agona Nkwanta. A search of his person recovered a locally manufactured pistol and two live BB cartridges. He later fell ill and was taken to Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Christopher Seyiri, alias “Cross and Die,” 47; Bashiru Ibrahim, 20; and Thomas Odoom, alias “Wale,” 30, all within the Agona Nkwanta area. A fifth suspect, Isaac Quayeson, alias “Last Burial,” was arrested at Denkyira Kwaboso in the Western North Region. A search of his residence yielded a locally manufactured pistol, three live BB cartridges, a metal bar and two cutlasses.
During questioning, Quayeson identified Amponsah as the person who shot and killed the deceased and also identified Odoom as one of the individuals captured on CCTV footage.
The suspects are assisting with investigations. Police efforts continue to locate and arrest other accomplices linked to the robbery and murder.
Ghanaian businessman Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, has engaged a new legal team in the United States after pleading not guilty to federal charges linked to an alleged romance fraud scheme that prosecutors say defrauded elderly Americans of more than US$8 million.
Kumi, also known by the aliases Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng, faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He has denied the allegations and remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Kumi was part of a criminal network that operated between approximately April 2023 and November 2025. The group allegedly used artificial intelligence tools to create false identities and fictitious female personas, targeting older victims—often widows and divorcees—through social media and online dating platforms. After building trust through extensive conversations, the suspects purportedly requested money under false pretences, such as urgent medical needs, travel expenses or investment opportunities. Prosecutors claim the network obtained more than $8 million from over 80 victims.
Kumi, originally from Swedru in Ghana’s Central Region, was arrested in Ghana on December 11, 2025, in a joint operation involving Ghanaian authorities and the FBI. He was extradited to the United States on July 9, 2026, despite last-minute legal efforts by his previous counsel to halt the process. Assets allegedly linked to the scheme, including a mansion in Ghana and luxury vehicles such as a Lamborghini, Tesla Cybertruck, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have been seized.
Recent court developments show that Kumi has hired new attorneys, Eric F. Long and Lucas D. Triott of Friedman Nemecek Long & Grant, LLC. The court previously classified the case as complex after the defence cited the extensive volume of evidence requiring additional time for review. A pretrial conference is scheduled for around August 24–25, 2026, at which new hearing and trial dates are expected to be set. An original trial date of September 8, 2026, is likely to be postponed.
If convicted, Kumi faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the charges. The case continues, with both sides preparing for further proceedings.
A routine patrol in the Kakum Forest Reserve ended in tragedy on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after a wildlife resource guard was allegedly shot dead by a suspected poacher in the Assin Kruwa area of the Central Region.
The deceased, identified as 58-year-old Richard Otwey, was attached to the Kakum Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission. He was on patrol with two other forestry guards when the team allegedly encountered two men hunting illegally inside the protected forest.
According to the Central North Police Command, the guards attempted to apprehend the suspects, identified as Bukari Abudu and John Mensah. Abudu allegedly pulled out a single-barrel gun and opened fire, hitting Otwey in the chest. He died at the scene.
The remaining members of the patrol team pursued the suspects through the forest and managed to arrest John Mensah, who was later handed over to the police and is assisting with investigations. Bukari Abudu escaped and remains at large. Police and forestry authorities have intensified efforts to track him down.
Police received the report at about 8:25 a.m. and proceeded to the scene together with officials from the Wildlife Division. Investigators found Otwey’s body lying beneath a wawa tree, approximately 60 metres from the reserve boundary. A spent cartridge, footprints and the single-barrel firearm believed to have been used in the attack were recovered and retained as exhibits.
The Central North Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Edmund Agyemang Badu, confirmed the incident but declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
Kakum Forest Reserve, one of Ghana’s most important protected areas and a major tourist attraction known for its canopy walkway, continues to face persistent threats from illegal hunting. Authorities have not yet issued any additional public statements on the case.
OKLAHOMA CITY — A 26-year-old Ghanaian national living in Oklahoma City has been arrested three times in the first half of August 2026 in connection with alleged attacks on multiple women, according to local authorities.
Jeff Kufi Asare was first taken into custody on August 1 on probable-cause allegations of felony sexual battery.
Less than a week later, on August 6, he was arrested again on allegations of felony sexual battery and attempted kidnapping.
On August 12, Asare was arrested and booked on a first-degree rape charge.
The successive arrests span a period of less than two weeks and involve separate incidents targeting women in the Oklahoma City area, law enforcement sources indicated. Details of the individual cases, including the identities of the alleged victims and specific locations, have not been publicly released pending further investigation and court proceedings.
Asare remains in custody facing the accumulating felony charges. Prosecutors have not yet announced formal charging decisions or court dates beyond the initial bookings. Under Oklahoma law, the offenses carry potentially lengthy prison sentences if convictions are obtained.
Authorities have not released information on whether the cases are believed to be linked or how Asare came to the attention of investigators in each instance. No statements from Asare or legal representatives were immediately available.
The rapid sequence of arrests has drawn local attention to public safety concerns involving sexual violence. Officials continue to urge anyone with information related to these or similar incidents to contact the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Charges remain allegations at this stage. Asare is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
She was found unresponsive on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, where she had been temporarily staying. Emergency responders and EMS arrived after a 911 call reporting a cardiac arrest around 1:51 p.m. They located her in cardiac arrest and initiated advanced cardiac life support measures, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed that an autopsy completed on Monday, August 17, found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death. The official cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and additional studies. Police have stated that a preliminary investigation indicated no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance placed the 911 call.
Panettiere was born on August 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York. She rose to fame as a child actress, with early roles including the voice of Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life and a part in the film Remember the Titans. She achieved widespread recognition for portraying Claire Bennet, the indestructible cheerleader, in the NBC series Heroes, and later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville. She also appeared in the Scream franchise as Kirby Reed in Scream 4 and Scream VI, among other film and television projects. Earlier this year she released a memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she openly discussed her experiences with postpartum depression, addiction, recovery, and other personal challenges.
She is survived by her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, who is 11 years old. Kaya was born on December 9, 2014, to Panettiere and her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere had previously spoken about relinquishing custody of her daughter amid her struggles with postpartum depression and addiction.
In a statement shared by her representative, her father, Skip (Alan) Panettiere, said: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Further details on the cause of death are expected as the investigation continues.
Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) Ebi Bright has led a team from the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to intervene at an ongoing government project being executed by TDC Ghana Limited at Tema Community One, Site 3 (Lots 1 and 2). The action, which included ordering an immediate stop to work and demolishing portions of structures on the site, has raised questions about coordination between the two public institutions.
The project involves the construction of shops and office spaces on behalf of the Government of Ghana. At the time of the intervention on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, it was still in the early stages of setting-out and site clearing. The TMA maintains that the land is designated as open space for public use, including a community playground and other facilities, and that construction proceeded without the required statutory permits from the Assembly.
In a letter dated 10 August 2026, accompanied by an enforcement notice, the TMA cited relevant provisions of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), and its own bye-laws on unauthorised development. It gave TDC a seven-day ultimatum to halt work and submit the necessary permits, warning that non-compliance would trigger enforcement action.
TDC Ghana Limited responded the following day, arguing that the Assembly’s stance was inconsistent with long-standing institutional arrangements governing government projects in the metropolis. The company indicated it would escalate the matter to relevant statutory bodies for an inter-institutional resolution.
However, before the ultimatum expired, MCE Bright, accompanied by police officers and Assembly staff, visited the site. She told residents that the issue had been discussed at the metropolitan security level, that multiple prior warnings to stop work had been ignored, and that proceeding without TMA permits constituted a violation of the law. Bright emphasised the Assembly’s mandate to restore access routes for residents and enforce planning regulations.
The confrontation has effectively suspended the project and highlighted underlying strains in the working relationship between TDC Ghana Limited (historically central to Tema’s planned development) and the TMA. Work remains on hold pending resolution of the permit and land-use disputes.
