Friday, April 17, 2026. Stay informed with today’s front pages of Ghanaian newspapers, all in one place.

Toronto, Canada – A Ghanaian pastor and 14 other individuals have been arrested in Vaughan, Ontario, following a major year-long investigation by York Regional Police into an alleged sophisticated fraud scheme that diverted nearly $100,000 from a Canadian program designed to prevent homelessness.

Isaac Oppong, 38, described as the ringleader and a former pastor at Miracle Arena for All Nations from 2018 to 2025, was arrested alongside Richard Owusu, 27, Christiana Oppong, 41, and 12 other non-Ghanaian suspects. The group faces multiple serious charges, including fraud, identity fraud, laundering proceeds of crime, and conspiracy.

The investigation, dubbed Project Great One, was launched after officials detected several suspicious applications to the Homeless Prevention Program (HPP) containing false or misleading information between January and December 2024. Police estimate that approximately $99,600 was fraudulently obtained from the program, which provides emergency housing support to vulnerable people at risk of homelessness. During the probe, officers executed searches on 12 homes and 10 vehicles, uncovering evidence of what they described as a well-organized and sustained operation.

Oppong is alleged to have used his position of trust within the religious community to recruit others into the scheme. The case has sparked concern within both the Ghanaian diaspora and Canadian faith communities, as the funds were intended to support some of society’s most vulnerable individuals. Advocates have warned that such actions erode public trust in social support systems and deprive genuinely needy people of critical assistance.

Police say the investigation remains active, and they have not ruled out the possibility of additional suspects or victims coming to light. They have appealed to the public for any information that could help determine the full scale of the alleged fraud.

London, United Kingdom – A Ghanaian national, Duane Owusu, has been sentenced to a minimum of 16 years and six months in prison for the murder of 27-year-old deaf woman Zahwa Mukhtar, whom he punched and abandoned on a roadside in east London.

Owusu, 36, of Althorne Way in Dagenham, was convicted at the Old Bailey after a trial that revealed a tragic sequence of events on the night of August 15–16, 2025. Mukhtar, who had never met Owusu or his group before, joined them during a night out.

After drinking and taking drugs, tensions escalated inside an overcrowded Mercedes. When the group stopped near a garage in Chadwell Heath Lane, Owusu forcibly removed Mukhtar from the car, threw her phone away, kicked towards her as she lay on the ground, and delivered a forceful blow to her neck. She fell backwards, hitting her head, and suffered a fatal fractured skull and brain injury. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 06:21 BST.

Judge Richard Marks KC described Owusu’s actions as showing complete disregard for Mukhtar’s welfare. He noted that while Owusu may not have immediately realised the severity of her injuries, he “couldn’t have cared less.” The judge also highlighted Owusu’s previous criminal record, including an eight-year sentence in 2010 for acting as a getaway driver in a fatal robbery.

Mukhtar’s brother, Jamaluddin, described her as a “remarkable young woman” who overcame deafness caused by meningitis at age three and never let her disability hold her back. The family expressed deep grief, calling her loss an “immeasurable void.”

The case has drawn attention to issues of violence against women and the vulnerabilities faced by deaf individuals in social situations. Owusu was released on bail pending any appeals.