Traders resort to fake IDs to secure market stalls

Some traders within the central business district of Accra have been found to be in possession of fake Ghanaian voter identification cards. The nefarious practice by the traders was detected when they presented the fake Voter IDs to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, (AMA) in order to secure stalls at the Pedestrians Shopping Mall, hitherto Hawkers Market. On January 3, this year, a forty-two year old trader, Madam Helen Salami presented her ID to the AMA and was found to be fake. She however denied and insisting that it was a genuine one from the Electoral Commission, (EC). The said voter ID had polling station number as OCO41624B and ID number as 22736851(ED). The move by the traders could be described as a desperate one by those who refused to register with the AMA at the commencement of the mall to secure spaces. Moreover, they have been given an ultimatum to quit the streets by Monday January 15, 2007 due to a decongestion exercise to be carried out by the AMA. According to the Accra South Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Angwubutoge Awuni, the AMA called the attention of the police when it detected fake ID cards among those presented by traders to secure stalls at the pedestrians’ mall. But the traders are said to have rejected this claim by the AMA, while alleging that it is just an orchestrated attempt by the assembly to deny them spaces at the mall. Chief Supt. Awuni explained that Helen upon interrogation stated she was pregnant during the last voter registration exercise. Consequently, she gave an amount of one hundred thousand cedis and her passport size picture to a certain boy to get her a voter ID card. “In Ghana, nobody pays money for a voter ID. The voter ID bears only her first name Helen. It has been presented to the EC for verification and further action.” Earlier, five traders were also arrested in line with the same issue. They are namely, Omari Dartey, Afia Attah -35, Joseph Ashimatey – 31, Kwasi Ampofo – 36 and Eric Darko – 29. While the four claimed their IDs were genuine cards which they used to vote in the last general elections, Eric was found to possess two ID cards with different names. Chief Supt. Awuni told Public Agenda that Eric who is often referred to as Kwabena Darko by his colleagues claimed he often use the name Eric Darko in school. Hence, when he presented the ID card bearing the name Eric Darko to the AMA his colleagues raised an alarm. The Divisional Commander said Eric admitted he contacted somebody around the Accra post office who prepared for him another ID with the name Kwabena Darko. “He has since been prepared for court and the rest forwarded to the EC for verification.” The market which the Accra Mayor, Mr. Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson says its the first of its kind in West Africa is tailored to address the peculiar needs of petty traders who are presently holding the whole city ransom. The about three thousand stall occupants will be expected to pay ¢2 million for the allocation of a stall and ¢2 hundred thousand as registration fee. They will then be expected to sign an undertaking to abide by the rules governing the use of the mall. At the same market one thousand more traders will be accommodated in an open area specially created within the mall. Such traders will be expected to pay ¢1 million each for allocation of a place and ¢100 thousand as registration fee.