ACCRA – Police in Ghana have rescued a nine-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted from the Agormanya Zongo community in the Eastern Region and arrested a 36-year-old woman accused of attempting to send the child to Kenya, authorities said.

The Eastern Regional Police Command announced the rescue and arrest on Monday, April 20, 2026, following a complaint filed a day earlier by the victim’s father, who reported that his daughter had left home and failed to return.

In a statement, police said intelligence-led operations by officers from the Odumase-Krobo District Command, with support from personnel at the Kotoka International Airport, led to the arrest of the suspect, identified as Regina Mamle Tawiah, 36. The victim was rescued at the airport, where preliminary investigations indicate the suspect was preparing to transport the child to Kenya.

The girl has since been safely reunited with her father, police confirmed.

The suspect was arraigned before the Odumase-Krobo Circuit Court on Tuesday, April 21, where she pleaded not guilty to charges related to the alleged abduction. She has been remanded into police custody and is scheduled to reappear on May 5, 2026, for a case management conference.

The Eastern Regional Police Command has urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement authorities.

The case has drawn attention to child abduction risks in Ghana, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities, and has highlighted the role of airport security in intercepting suspected trafficking attempts.

Lesotho’s Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has cited Ghana as a leading example in public procurement governance, following a benchmarking visit aimed at strengthening the southern African nation’s newly established procurement system.

Thandy Pino, Board Chair of the Lesotho Public Procurement Authority, said the visit was part of a strategic learning exercise to enhance transparency, efficiency, and value for money in public spending. She noted that Lesotho’s procurement system remains in its early stages, having been established under the country’s 2023 Public Procurement Act.

“So Lesotho is still fairly new in terms of public procurement regulation. The Act was only passed in 2023, while Ghana has over 20 years of experience under its Public Procurement Act,” Pino said.

She stated that the delegation was not seeking to replicate Ghana’s system directly, but rather to adapt best practices to Lesotho’s specific governance and economic context.

“We are not here to copy and paste what Ghana is doing. We are here to understand what we can adapt and tailor to our environment,” she added.

Ghana’s procurement framework is governed by the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), which has been widely credited with improving transparency in public spending, strengthening competitive tendering processes, and reducing procurement irregularities through institutional oversight mechanisms.

Over the years, Ghana’s reforms have focused on e-procurement systems, audit compliance, and value-for-money assessments in public contracts.

For Lesotho, the engagement forms part of broader efforts to modernize its procurement architecture, reduce inefficiencies, and strengthen accountability in public financial management.

The Lesotho Public Procurement Authority (LPPA) is expected to play a central role in centralizing procurement oversight and improving compliance across government institutions.

Nigeria’s government has formally charged six former security officials with treason, accusing them of plotting to violently overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration, according to court documents released on Tuesday.

The charges, filed by Attorney-General and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi at a federal court in the capital, Abuja, represent the most serious treason prosecution since Tinubu took office in 2023. The case underscores the government’s intensified push to tighten internal security amid deepening economic strains, a long-running Islamist insurgency in the north, and rising political tensions.

Prosecutors have leveled 13 criminal charges against the suspects, including treason, terrorism, and terrorism financing. Among those charged is a retired army major-general. A seventh suspect, a former state governor, remains at large and is currently being sought by authorities.

The six individuals in custody are due to be arraigned before a judge on Wednesday. Defence lawyers were not immediately available for comment when the story was published.

The alleged coup plot was reportedly foiled last year. In a related move in October, Tinubu abruptly replaced the military’s top leadership in a sweeping shake-up that an aide described as a necessary step to bolster national security as threats to the government escalated.