The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced the temporary closure of a portion of Kwame Nkrumah Avenue in Accra’s Central Business District (CBD) to allow for urgent repair works.

In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Gilbert Nii Ankrah, on behalf of AMA Chief Executive Officer Michael Kpakpo Allotey, the closure will take place from 8:00 p.m. on Saturday to 12:00 a.m. on Sunday.

The affected section covers the U-turn area at Lava and the stretch from the Derby Avenue/Kwame Nkrumah Avenue intersection to the Selwyn Market Street/Kwame Nkrumah Avenue intersection.

The AMA explained that the repairs are necessary due to the development of severe potholes and road depressions, which have disrupted smooth traffic flow and posed safety risks to both drivers and pedestrians.

Motorists are advised to use alternative routes during the closure and adhere to all traffic management arrangements put in place. Directional signs will be installed, and officers from the Ghana Police Service’s Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) will be on-site to assist with traffic flow.

Following the sectional repairs, the Assembly will proceed with paving works to improve the road’s durability and long-term performance.

The AMA apologized for any inconvenience the temporary closure may cause and urged all road users to cooperate as the city works to enhance transportation infrastructure and ensure safer, more efficient mobility for the public.

The Chairman of the Small Scale Miners Association, Kojo Peprah, has been arrested by the Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force deployed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for obstructing an operation against illegal mining in the Desiri Forest Reserve, Ashanti Region.

Police reports indicate that Mr. Peprah confronted the special team during their mission to flush out illegal miners from the forest reserve, questioning the legitimacy of their operation and demanding explanations.

Following his arrest, Mr. Peprah claimed he had received reports that the task force had entered what he believed to be his legally licensed mining site within the forest reserve.

However, authorities have clarified that small-scale mining licenses do not permit mining within forest reserves, casting doubt on the activities of miners operating in the protected area.

According to the latest data from the Forestry Commission, the Desiri Forest Reserve is currently the only “red spot” among 44 forest reserves recently invaded by illegal miners.

Mr. Peprah has since been handed over to the Nkawie Police Command to assist with ongoing investigations.

Three 18-year-olds have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison for their involvement in a violent daylight robbery that left several residents of Boubai in the Asokore Mampong Municipality injured and traumatised.

The Atasemanso Circuit Court in Kumasi handed down the sentences on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, after Mamudu Issah, Samuel Takyi, and Alhassan Abubakari pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and seven counts of robbery. Issah received an additional three-year sentence for causing harm, but all sentences will run concurrently.

The robbery occurred on the morning of July 1, 2025, between 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Armed with machetes, the trio and three unidentified accomplices, who remain at large, stormed the Boubai community on two unregistered motorbikes, attacking residents and robbing them of mobile phones, bags, and cash.

Swift action by local volunteers led to the arrest of the three suspects later that day at a hideout in Aboabo. The volunteers also recovered 10 mobile phones and three bags suspected to have been stolen and handed them over to the police.

The suspects were arraigned before the Atasemanso Circuit Court, where they admitted to all charges. Following sentencing, they were transferred to the Central Prisons in Kumasi to begin serving their terms.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Godwin Ahianyo, Head of the Public Affairs Unit in the Ashanti Region, commended the swift intervention of community members, highlighting the importance of public cooperation in crime fighting.

“We continue to encourage the public to support policing efforts and promptly report suspicious activities,” DSP Ahianyo urged.

Police say efforts are ongoing to locate and arrest the remaining accomplices.