Culture

Ugandan security agencies arrest three linked to school attack

Published

2 years ago

June 19, 2023

Ugandan police say three suspects linked to an attack at the Lhubirira Secondary School on Friday where around 42 students were slaughtered and burned to death inside their dormitory have been arrested.

Lt. Joe Walusumbi, the Kasese District Resident Commissioner where the incident happened, said at a press conference on Monday that the arrests were made through a “collaborative initiative of the residents to provide information on the suspects aided in the search, leading to their arrest.”

“We have arrested three people and investigations are still ongoing. I cannot tell you whether they are Ugandans or not,” Lt. Walusumbi said.

“We shall tell you after investigations but up to now, our UPDF forces are still hunting for these rebels,” he added.

The commissioner also confirmed that the number of fatalities stood at 42, with five identified as non- residents.

“Seventeen fatalities are reported to have burnt beyond recognition necessitating the authorities to conduct a comprehensive analysis of a DNA test to aid with identification of the victims,” he said.

He added that 16 students were suspected to have been kidnapped by the assailants believed to be rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).

Lt. Walusumbi also urged schools in Kasese to scale up their security, as authorities ordered local schools to remove burglars from doors and windows to ensure ample emergency exits when similar attacks happen in the future.

“This time, we don’t want a single deployment of security guards in public places, we need deployment of two guards because if the school had more than one security guard, the incident would have been avoided, a single security guard cannot guard the school 24 hours,” he said.

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Culture

Ghana’s Afua Asantewaa begins second GWR sing-a-thon attempt

Published

9 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghanaian singer, Afua Asantewaa, on Saturday, began her second attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest singing marathon by an individual.

The sing-a-thon which began in the early hours of Saturday, December 21, at Heroes’ Park, Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, will run until December 25, and will see the determined songstress perform non-stop, focusing exclusively on Ghanaian songs.

According to Asantewaa’s manager, Madam Gladys Osei Owiredu, the audacious initiative is aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Ghanaian music to a global audience.

Owiredu confirmed that preparations for the event had been extensive but expressed confidence in Asantewaa’s readiness to finally break the record.

“I can confirm that she is ready for the task ahead. It’s been challenging—by way of preparations—but I can say she is ready,” Owiredu said.

Asantewaa’s second attempt follows her first effort in December 2023, which fell short of surpassing the current record of 105 hours held by India’s Sunil Waghmare.

But despite the setback, her team remains optimistic about breaking the record this time with corporate sponsors including International Maritime Hospital, Ghana Gas, Nasco Electronics, and Zoomlion Ghana Limited rallying behind her, underscoring the importance of the attempt in amplifying the global significance of Ghanaian music.

Culture

Ghana’s Supreme Court dismisses suit challenging anti-LGBT bill

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghana’s Supreme Court has dismissed two separate suits challenging the legality of one of the proposed anti-LGBT legislations awaiting assent into law by the president.

The separate suits were filed by two legal practitioners, Amanda Odoi and Richard Sky, challenging the bill, seeking to declare it illegal and prevent the president from signing it.

The two cases had challenged the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

But in a ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously decided to dismiss the legal challenges to the new anti-LGBT legislation that has been criticised by rights groups.

The controversial bill was passed earlier this year by Ghanaian lawmakers with three years imprisonment for people identifying as LGBT and five years for forming or funding LGBT groups.

While dismissing the cases, presiding judge, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, who delivered the ruling on behalf of the seven-member panel, said the cases were premature.

“Until there’s presidential assent, there is no act, the two cases were “unanimously dismissed,” she said.

The ruling is the latest blow to the LGBTQ community in Ghana and paves the way for the president to sign into law what many say is one of Africa’s most restrictive piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose term in office ends on 7 January, had delayed signing it pending the outcome of the Supreme Court challenge but the judges said the case could not be reviewed until it had been signed it into law.

It expected that incoming president, John Mahama, will sign the bill into law as he had always expressed his support for the bill during his electioneering campaigns.