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26.03.2007 Crime & Punishment

Two Pastors arrested for noise making

26.03.2007 LISTEN
By (ghanaian-chronicle)

THE ENVIRONMENTAL and Health Department of the Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly (SAEMA) in the Western Region has intensified its campaign against noise making in the Metropolis and continues to clamp down on offenders.

Consequently the Assembly Task Force, in collaboration with other security personnel, has arrested two Charismatic Men of God (Pastors) for flouting the directive against noise making.

The two Ministers, Robert Baidoo and Joseph Amoah were arrested at the Tanokrom cluster of schools which they have been using as their Church grounds respectively.


They have consequently been put before the Takoradi Magistrate Court presided over by Mr. Samuel Encee and charged with the offence of nuisance contrary to section 105 paragraph 7 (a) of the Assembly bye-laws.

The two Pastors pleaded guilty to the offence and the sitting Judge fined them an amount of five hundred thousand cedis each or in default, three months in prison.

Delivering his judgment, Mr. Encee told the two Pastors not to see the security team that caused their arrest as evil people. This was because noise had serious effect on human beings.

Prosecuting earlier, the Assembly Prosecutor, Mr. Anthony Hayford had told the Court that the two Ministers had no church grounds and used the Assembly cluster of school buildings at Tanokrom for their church activities. According to him, on 20th March this year, the Assembly had a report that the two Pastors continued to make excessive noise from their church equipment such as amplifiers and loud speakers at the aforementioned community.


Based on this, Mr. Hayford further told the Court that the Assembly dispatched two Military Officers and the Metropolitan Guards to the area where they monitored the noise levels of the two pastors' church activities with a noise level metre. The levels, according to the prosecutor, was 84.5 and 98.5 decibels respectively. The two were arrested, issued with summons and charged with the offence of nuisance under page 105 of the Assembly bye-laws.

Meanwhile, a Landlord at the same Tanokrom Community, Mr. Yusif Abubakar has been fined an amount of 1.3million cedis or in default, go to prison for six months by the same Magistrate Court. This was after he had pleaded guilty to the offence related to environmental threat under the Assembly bye-laws.

Prosecuting, Mr. Hayford told the Court that the Landlord has no toilet facility in his house and therefore his tenants were defecating haphazardly around the premises, which posed a threat to other neighbours.

Environmental Officers, according to the Prosecutor, on inspection routine found the accused person's compound littered with human faeces and he was summoned to face the Court.

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