Minister orders the arrest of an irresponsible man

Wa, Aug. 17, GNA - Mr Ambrose Dery, Upper West Regional Minister on Wednesday ordered security agencies and the media to follow up and expose a man, who allegedly abandoned his wife with eight children for another woman.

The 30 year-old woman; Madam Zenabu Dabiri had three single children with the husband and followed that up with twins and triplets, respectively after which the husband left her for an unknown destination with another woman.

For over a year now, the woman who had to fend for the children had to seek asylum at the Wa Remand Home where they took care of her and her children.

All these came to light when Mr Dery paid a visit to the Home to acquaint himself with the performance and problems of the Home. Mr Dery said child delinquency was increasing on daily basis because of parental irresponsibility, which should be reversed for the betterment of society.

He said the arrest and prosecution of the man; Kojo Dabiri would scare other men from similar irresponsible lifestyle. "We all know that, as families they are bound to face problems, but you do not solve problems by running away. Is he not having relatives to take care of the children?"

Mr Dery after interacting with the woman and children gave her 500,000 cedis and urged the caretakers of the Home to keep her and the children until the absconded husband was arrested and brought to book. On the facilities at the Home, the Regional Minister said it did not befit the status of a remand home as it was without electricity and water.

"Even the building itself and the way the area is not fenced makes it risky to put children on remand here."

He said a meeting would be held to call for support from all the eight District Assemblies since the home was serving the whole Region and not only the Wa Municipality.

Mr Lawrence Azam, Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, said 19 children were admitted at the Home between January and August 2005, most of them with stealing charges.

He said some battered wives were also admitted there for rehabilitation after deserting their marital homes and appealed for means of transport, water and electricity to facilitate the running of the Home.

Mr Azam said apart from the encroachment of their land, two families namely the Sungumo family of Tagarayiri-Wa and Guli family had demanded 147 million cedis and 200 million cedis, respectively, as compensation for the land. 17 Aug. 05