Court routes EOCO’s Baffour Awuah arrest through Parliament’s Speaker

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Court routes EOCO’s Baffour Awuah arrest through Parliament’s Speaker

A High Court directed the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on 30 September 2026 to arrest Manhyia South lawmaker Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah through the Speaker of Parliament.

The condition, reported by Ghana Business News, settles a question raised after EOCO officers tried and failed to detain the MP outside the Accra High Court on 23 September. Lawyer Martin Kpebu was among those who argued that any arrest of a sitting MP should go through Parliament.

The House was on recess when the first attempt was made. EOCO said at the time that being an MP does not end an investigation or place anyone beyond the reach of the law.

Deputy A-G’s confirmation

Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Dr Justice Srem-Sai confirmed the warrant in a Facebook post on 30 September. He said Baffour Awuah had refused to honour an EOCO criminal investigative invitation since February 2026.

He said the inquiry concerns a complaint of unauthorised financial transactions at SIC Life Savings and Loans Company Limited. The suspected offences include financial loss, dissipation of public funds and money laundering.

The court also authorised EOCO to search for and seize documents. EOCO had told the court it feared material could be hidden, altered or destroyed.

The MP’s position

Baffour Awuah rejects the claim that he ignored EOCO. In his account:

  • EOCO’s February letters invited the senior partner of his former law firm, Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, which SIC Life had hired to recover funds.
  • He referred the matter to the Clerk to Parliament.
  • A representative of the firm appeared before EOCO investigators on 4 March, 18 March and 30 April 2026.

On the 23 September incident, he has said the woman who approached him did not show identification or an arrest warrant, so he drove to Parliament instead of going with her.

The allegations have not been tested in court. Sources close to the MP told JoyNews he would report to EOCO on 1 October. That had not been publicly confirmed at the time of publication.

Man petitions IGP over GH¢100k allegedly taken from car

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Man petitions IGP over GH¢100k allegedly taken from car

Ronnie Afriyie has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over GH¢100,000 he says vanished from his car outside a University of Ghana bank on 28 September 2026.

He wants the IGP to help him get CCTV footage that could show what happened. Afriyie gave his account in an interview with GHOne TV, as reported by GhanaWeb.

His account

Afriyie said he parked in front of the Stanbic Bank branch on the Legon campus, near the night market, between 2:30 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. His car’s boot faced the bank entrance.

He said two armed police officers and two security guards were standing near the entrance, which gave him confidence. He took some cash from the boot, left the rest inside, and went into the banking hall.

He said he was inside for no more than 15 minutes because there was no queue. When he came out, he found fingerprints on the boot and signs that the front door had been tampered with. GH¢100,000 was missing, he said. He reported it to the security staff at the bank, and the two police officers were no longer at their post when he returned to the car.

The search for footage

Afriyie said he reported the matter at the Legon Police Station. A Criminal Investigations Department officer took his statement and went with him to the scene.

He said Stanbic Bank told him it has no camera covering the front of the premises. A nearby Access Bank branch has footage, but will release it only on a formal police request. Afriyie said that despite repeated visits, he has not obtained that request from the police. On one visit, he said, the investigating officer told him she was busy and asked him to return the next day.

The Ghana Police Service and Stanbic Bank had not publicly responded to his account at the time of publication.

Pete Edochie brings support to ailing friend Emmanuel Armah

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Pete Edochie brings support to ailing friend Emmanuel Armah

Nollywood veteran Pete Edochie visited ailing Ghanaian actor Emmanuel Armah at his Accra home on 30 September 2026, praying with him and giving money towards his medicine and upkeep.

Armah has been largely absent from the screen for years because of ill health. The visit was filmed and shared online by Ghana-based Nigerian comedian Parrot Mouth, and the video has since spread widely.

Edochie was visibly moved during the reunion. He had said on arriving in Ghana that he hoped to see his “colleague actor who’s been sick for a long time”.

The illness

Armah’s wife, Stella Amina Armah, told Edochie that November 2026 will mark 11 years since her husband fell ill. She said it began while he was working in the United States, when he developed high blood pressure he did not know about and raised cholesterol. She was in Ghana at the time.

She said doctors believe he can improve. He is in pain across his body and now has daily physiotherapy and massage.

His memory remains sharp, she added. He still asks after old friends from his career by name and offers to take her to their homes.

Generosity on the visit

Edochie handed Armah money during the visit. According to Nkonkonsa, he then passed on a separate cash gift that had earlier been given to him.

The Accra trip

Edochie arrived in Accra on 29 September for the Pete Edochie Legacy Project, part of Accra Legacy Week. The Pan-African initiative, themed “Celebrating the African Legend: The Lion That Needs Not to Roar”, honours a career that includes his portrayal of Okonkwo in the 1987 television adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.

The programme includes:

  • A legacy lecture.
  • Meet-and-greet sessions.
  • A gala.
  • Youth mentorship activities.

Edochie has also said he hopes to visit actress Moesha Boduong, who played his wife in a Ghanaian film. He wants to visit the grave of former President Jerry John Rawlings as well, whom he described as a brother.

Adorye says security agencies have tracked ‘Ghana Jollof’

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Adorye says security agencies have tracked ‘Ghana Jollof’

Former security official Hopeson Adorye said on 29 September 2026 that Ghana’s security agencies know where wanted TikToker Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, known as “Ghana Jollof”, lives and works.

Speaking on TVXYZ, as reported by GhanaWeb, Adorye said Kodua would soon be arrested and brought back to Ghana. “Ghana Jollof doesn’t have anywhere to run to anymore,” he said.

Adorye served as Deputy National Security Coordinator in charge of airports under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. He did not say what his information was based on. Ghanaian authorities have not confirmed any of his claims.

He also said:

  • Authorities hold Kodua’s passport details and records of her departure through Accra’s airport.
  • People had visited her workplace to confirm her identity.
  • UK authorities, not Ghanaian agencies, took down her Facebook account.

Police case

The Ghana Police Service declared Kodua wanted on 17 September 2026 in connection with alleged incitement of violence. According to police, the “Ghana Jollof” TikTok account was used to post offensive and inciting comments and false news likely to cause fear and alarm. This included a video claiming soldiers had attempted a coup against President John Dramani Mahama.

The wanted notice describes Kodua as 40 years old and says she was last seen at Accra’s airport on 4 August 2022. Police believe she is in the United Kingdom. They have asked anyone with information to report to the nearest police station.

None of the allegations against her has been tested in court.

Kodua’s response and questions over identity

Kodua has said in videos that Ghana can never extradite her from Britain. She said UK authorities would not send her back if the case amounted to political persecution, and that she would return only voluntarily. No response from her to Adorye’s remarks has been reported.

Questions have also been raised about who is behind the account. In a related case, a lawyer pointed to an earlier police charge sheet that named a different woman as “Ghana Jollof”. Police maintain that intelligence and forensic work have identified Kodua.

That related case concerns Salomey Awiti Baffoe, a senior nursing officer from Techiman. Prosecutors accuse her of acting as Kodua’s liaison in distributing the account’s videos. She has pleaded not guilty at the Adentan Circuit Court, and her case resumes on 5 October 2026.

Ethiopian Airlines becomes Africa’s first buyer of Boeing 777-8 freighter

Roger A. Agana
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Ethiopian Airlines becomes Africa’s first buyer of Boeing 777-8 freighter

Ethiopian Airlines ordered 10 Boeing freighters in Addis Ababa on 30 September 2026, including eight 777-8Fs, making it the first African carrier to buy Boeing’s newest cargo jet.

The deal adds two current-generation 777Fs. According to Reuters, it also includes an option on eight more 777-8Fs. Neither company disclosed the price.

A bet on an aircraft still in development

The 777-8F has not yet been certified, and the wider 777X programme has suffered certification and delivery delays. Production of the 777F is expected to end because of international emissions standards. Buying both types lets Ethiopian add capacity soon while waiting for the new model.

The size of the jump in capacity, according to Air Cargo News:

  • 777-8F: maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes.
  • 777F: maximum structural payload of 107 tonnes.

Boeing says the 777-8F is 30% more fuel-efficient than the aircraft it replaces and costs 25% less to operate per tonne.

Building on an earlier order

This is Ethiopian’s second order from the 777X family. It follows eight 777-9 passenger jets bought in 2024, which made the airline the first African customer for the 777X.

Ethiopian’s current cargo fleet, according to Boeing:

  • 12 Boeing 777Fs.
  • Two 767 freighters.
  • Four converted 737-800 freighters.

The fleet serves more than 70 cargo destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Group Chief Executive Mesfin Tasew said the new aircraft would give the airline more payload, flexibility and efficiency as cargo demand grows. He added that they would strengthen Ethiopia’s role as a gateway for freight between Africa and the rest of the world.

UEFA’s biggest club fines were mostly conditional, study finds

Roger A. Agana
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UEFA’s biggest club fines were mostly conditional, study finds

Most of the money in UEFA’s largest financial penalties on European clubs was suspended rather than payable outright, a new review of disciplinary decisions shows. The finding gives useful context as Manchester City wait to learn their punishment in England.

Data site Winsportsonline examined UEFA cases from 2014 to 2026 with maximum penalties of at least €20 million in a single monitoring year. It found 15 of them, with combined maximum sanctions of €603.5 million:

  • Unconditional: €174.5 million, or 28.9%, was payable regardless.
  • Conditional: The other €429 million, or 71.1%, depended on clubs missing financial targets agreed with UEFA.

Why it matters now

The Premier League said on 29 September 2026 that an independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of all charges of serious breaches of its financial rules across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. City were also found guilty on most charges of failing to cooperate with the league’s investigation.

The sanction will be set at a separate hearing. City have said they are disappointed and surprised by the verdict and will appeal, and chief executive Ferran Soriano has described the case as a Premier League conspiracy theory.

City have been punished in Europe before. In 2014, UEFA fined both City and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) €60 million each and capped their Champions League squads at 21 players. Of each fine, €40 million was to be returned if the clubs met operational and financial measures agreed with UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body. Only €20 million each was payable outright.

The biggest cases

  • Chelsea, 2025 (€91 million): The largest total in a single monitoring year. UEFA ordered the club to pay €31 million in July 2025: €20 million for breaking the new football earnings rule and €11 million for breaching the squad cost rule. A further €60 million applies only if Chelsea fail to meet the terms of a four-year settlement.
  • PSG, 2022 (€65 million): The second-largest total. Only €10 million had to be paid immediately; the remaining €55 million depended on reaching break-even targets.
  • €60 million cases: Barcelona, agreed in July 2025 with €15 million unconditional and €45 million conditional on a two-year settlement, alongside the 2014 penalties on City and PSG.

The review also found that Juventus appear three times among the 15 largest cases, more than any other club. PSG, Inter Milan and Aston Villa appear twice each. Twelve of the 15 cases date from 2022 onwards, after UEFA replaced its original Financial Fair Play break-even rule with squad cost and football earnings limits.

Russia threatens nuclear response if NATO cuts off Kaliningrad

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Russia threatens nuclear response if NATO cuts off Kaliningrad

Russia has warned it could use nuclear weapons if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) tries to cut off Kaliningrad, according to a diplomatic note reported on 30 September 2026.

The note says Moscow is ready to defend its territory with its entire arsenal, nuclear weapons included, if NATO countries try to isolate the region from the rest of Russia. It accuses the alliance of a dangerous and reckless course. It also warns that escalation could bring Russian strikes on decision-making centres in NATO countries from the start of any conflict.

Moscow says in the note that it has information NATO is preparing an air and naval blockade of the exclave. It did not make that evidence public.

Why Kaliningrad matters

Kaliningrad sits on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members, and is cut off from the Russian mainland. It is a major military outpost. It is home to Russia’s Baltic Fleet and to nuclear-capable Iskander missile systems.

The warning comes more than four and a half years into Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, as tension spreads to neighbouring states. Reports have also pointed to alleged Russian airspace incursions in the Baltic region.

NATO response

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte dismissed the threat at an event hosted by Euronews in Brussels.

“Stop the nuclear threats. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful,” he said.

Rutte also said:

  • On the threat: There is no immediate danger to NATO territory, and he does not take the nuclear warning seriously because Russian President Vladimir Putin knows he cannot win a confrontation with the alliance.
  • On Moscow’s motive: Russia is trying to distract from its difficulties in Ukraine.
  • On the note itself: He declined to confirm its contents, saying it was for Russia to disclose them.

In its formal reply, confirmed by a NATO spokesperson, the alliance said none of its activities or exercises posed a risk to any part of Russia. It also called on Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.

A familiar flashpoint

Kaliningrad has been at the centre of Russian nuclear warnings before. In April 2022, as Finland and Sweden considered joining NATO, former president Dmitry Medvedev said there could be no more talk of a nuclear-free Baltic. Lithuania’s then defence minister, Arvydas Anušauskas, replied that Russia had kept nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad since long before the war in Ukraine.

Both countries have since joined the alliance.

New Orleans producer arrested over alleged intentional HIV exposure

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New Orleans producer arrested over alleged intentional HIV exposure

New Orleans music producer Mykel Cook has been arrested and accused of knowingly exposing a bounce artist he produced to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Cook, 33, who works as MykelOnTheBeat, was booked into the Orleans Justice Center on 18 September 2026 on one count of intentional exposure to the AIDS virus, according to court records cited by NOLA.com.

The allegation has not been tested in court. Published reports did not include a response from Cook or a lawyer acting for him.

Bond and protective order

Cook was first held without bond pending a hearing under Louisiana’s Gwen’s Law, which applies to domestic abuse cases. Magistrate Commissioner Joyce Sallah then set his bond at $250,000 and issued a domestic protective order for the woman. He has since been released on bond.

Louisiana law makes it a felony to intentionally expose another person to the AIDS virus without their knowing and lawful consent.

What the affidavit alleges

According to the arrest affidavit, Cook met the woman in 2018 and agreed to help her build a music career, later becoming her producer. She has told NOLA.com that the professional relationship later became a personal one.

New Orleans Police Department Detective Herman Franklin obtained Cook’s medical records through a warrant, Baller Alert reported.

The woman, a 38-year-old bounce performer, chose to go public. She told NOLA.com she wanted people in the music community to take HIV testing seriously and believes others may also have been exposed.

Cook is a well-known figure in New Orleans bounce music, recognised for his producer tag. Music databases list him as a producer or songwriter on releases by Fredo Bang and other Louisiana artists.

Manhyia South MP set to face EOCO after arrest warrant

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Manhyia South MP set to face EOCO after arrest warrant

Manhyia South lawmaker Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah will report to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on 1 October 2026, after a court authorised his arrest, sources say.

People close to the Member of Parliament told JoyNews he would present himself to the agency. An Accra High Court issued the warrant on 30 September. EOCO had told the court it had exhausted reasonable means of getting him to attend voluntarily.

The warrant also allows EOCO to search for and seize documents. According to 3News, the agency told the court it feared documents relevant to the investigation could be hidden, altered or destroyed.

What is being investigated

The inquiry concerns alleged financial irregularities at SIC Life Savings and Loans Company Limited. Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dr Justice Srem-Sai said it stems from a complaint about unauthorised transactions at the company. The suspected offences include financial loss, dissipation of public funds and money laundering.

The allegations have not been tested in court.

EOCO says it invited Baffour Awuah twice in February 2026 and that he did not honour either invitation. It invited him as senior partner of his law firm, Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, which SIC Life had hired to recover funds.

On 23 September, EOCO officers tried to arrest him at the Accra High Court, where he was appearing as a lawyer. The attempt ended in a confrontation and was not completed.

The MP’s account

Baffour Awuah disputes EOCO’s version of events. His account is that:

  • The February invitation was addressed to the senior partner of his former firm in connection with a client, not to him as the subject of an investigation.
  • He referred the matter to the Clerk to Parliament after receiving it.
  • A representative of the firm appeared before EOCO investigators on 4 March, 18 March and 30 April 2026.

He has also explained the transaction behind the probe. In his account, SIC Life had invested about GH¢3.5 million with the now-defunct Equity Savings and Loans, which defaulted. With interest, the liability grew to about GH¢14 million, and his firm was engaged to recover it.

He has said he is law-abiding and has no reason to fear an invitation from a state investigative agency.

EOCO has not made public the full details of its investigation, and no charge against the MP has been reported.

Joshua turns to two former Fury trainers for Cardiff showdown

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Joshua turns to two former Fury trainers for Cardiff showdown

Anthony Joshua has brought two of Tyson Fury’s former trainers into his camp for their 11 December fight in Cardiff, he said at the bout’s London launch on 30 September 2026.

Ben Davison will lead Joshua’s preparations. Davison trained Fury from 2018 to 2020 and took him into his first fight with Deontay Wilder. Joshua is also taking advice from Peter Fury, Tyson’s uncle, who trained him for his 2015 win over Wladimir Klitschko before the two parted ways.

“I’m back with Ben full time, that’s the plan for this camp,” Joshua said.

The fight is the most anticipated British heavyweight contest in years. It takes place at the Principality Stadium and will be shown live on Netflix.

Old ties, new corner

Davison’s return reunites Joshua with the trainer who guided him through three fights from late 2023. The first was a dominant win over Otto Wallin in Riyadh in December 2023.

Joshua said he had concluded that Davison could add to his plan for beating Fury without taking it over. He described Peter Fury as willing to help, and said the uncle had offered ideas on his training and on how to approach the fight.

Reports of the press conference say Joshua stressed that his talks with Peter Fury are about general preparation, not inside knowledge of his nephew.

Fury unbothered

Tyson Fury brushed off the coaching changes when asked about them at Olympia London. He said he left Davison for SugarHill Steward because Davison was not good enough, and that Joshua had left him for the same reason.

The rest of the launch was friendly. Both men showed respect for each other’s careers, though Fury predicted he would knock Joshua out.

The two heavyweights have circled each other for most of a decade. In December 2020, after Joshua knocked out Kubrat Pulev, Fury posted a video predicting he would stop Joshua inside three rounds.

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