MP A-Plus calls Teshie Ghana's most dangerous place, drawing rebuke from broadcaster

Pinned summary · as of 05:49

Gomoa Central MP Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly called A-Plus, has set off a public argument by calling Teshie the country's most dangerous spot. He made the remark on Sunday, 27 September, shortly after the death of a phone dealer in the area, and veteran broadcaster Ewulu Nii Adjei Klu has since criticised him for it. The dispute turns on whether a community's reputation should rest on a single reported killing.

What we know

• In a public comment on 27 September, A-Plus labelled Teshie the country's most dangerous location right now, a remark that both MyNewsGH and Pulse Ghana carried, and Kumasi Mail reported the same assessment.
• The body of Nana Yaw Kyere, who dealt in phones from a base at Circle, was found in Teshie on 24 September after he went there over a business transaction.
• Police have arrested suspects in connection with his death, and investigations into what happened are continuing.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Reports differ on how far the MP's claim reaches. MyNewsGH and Kumasi Mail say he had widened his earlier assessment from Greater Accra to the whole of Ghana, whereas Pulse Ghana quotes his Facebook comment as naming only Greater Accra.
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  Pulse Ghana reports that Klu called the MP's statement irresponsible, warned against branding Teshie dangerous because of one incident, and said people could once move about there at any hour. Klu also argued that those accused in the case are not indigenes of Teshie, that the incident happened around Manet rather than the main township, and that some people involved in crime there are migrants. Only Pulse Ghana has reported his remarks.
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  Pulse Ghana says Kyere travelled to Teshie on Sunday, 20 September, that his family confirmed his death on 24 September, and that unnamed reports allege his body was buried near the sea. No other report has confirmed these details.
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  MyNewsGH and Kumasi Mail both report further claims by the MP: that ride-hailing companies told him they had met the vehicle licensing authority (DVLA) and the police traffic unit over security in Teshie, that getting a ride there after 8pm is now nearly impossible, and that Kasoa, Nima and Ashaiman are safer. MyNewsGH adds that transport firms are issuing advisories to passengers and drivers. These are the MP's assertions, and neither the companies nor the authorities have been quoted.
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  The MP asked how lawlessness could persist near several military and security training institutions in the area, and urged residents to press for leadership and security instead of attacking those who raise concerns. MyNewsGH separately notes that earlier reports of some ride-hailing drivers' night-time worries in parts of Teshie-Nungua do not show that the whole area is officially dangerous.
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  Kumasi Mail also pointed to earlier Teshie cases: two men brought before an Accra court over an alleged holdup of a Yango driver, a resident granted GH₵50,000 bail over alleged theft of building materials worth GH₵28,320, and a July inquiry by the Nungua District Police Command into an alleged assault by persons believed to be officers. These are allegations or investigations, not findings, and only Kumasi Mail has reported them.

Why it matters for Ghana

Residents of Teshie, commuters and drivers who use the area have a direct stake, because a reputation for danger can change where people are willing to travel, work and do business. If ride-hailing trips after dark really are being refused, as the MP says, daily movement in and out of the community would be affected. The row also tests how public figures should talk about a community after a single violent crime, while the police inquiry into Kyere's death goes on.