GHANAIAN TIMES

"Kotoko boss in court...For threat on supporter's life", is the catchy headline of the main Times front page story which says George Aduse-Poku, chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Football Club, was yesterday arraigned at a Kumasi Circuit Tribunal for threatening the life of a supporter of the club. According to the prosecution, Aduse-Poku, who is the Managing Director of Gorgido Motors, hired six thugs who went to the house of Mr Afrifa Yamoah Ponko, spokesman for the 'Concerned and Angry Supporters' Group of Kotoko and threatened to lynch him if he showed up. Georgido, the Times said, pleaded not guilty and was granted 10 million Cedis bail with two sureties to be justified . He will re-appear on October 13. GRI

The Times says a group of angry youth of Mpatasie, a farming community near Kumasi, on August 20, prevented a family from burying their dead relatives in the town. They attributed the untimely death of Kwame Nsiah, 23, to the work of ''witches and wizards in the family". Singing war songs, they trooped to the town's cemetery to destroy a grave dug by the family for the burial. According to the paper, the youth vowed to resist the deceased's burial and asked the bereaved family to either "bring him back to life or eat the dead body", threatening "fire and brinstone" if the family failed to comply with the order. GRI

The Ghana Federation of Traditional Healers yesterday made clear its intention not to register drugs of its members with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). In a story headlined "We won't submit to Drug Board - Herbalist", the Times says the reason of the Federation is that it is the Pharmacy Council which registers orthodox medicine by law and note the FDB. Dr. A. Narh Nartey, National Coordinator of the Federation said this at the inauguration of a 12-member Traditional Medicine Consultative Committee in Accra. According to the Times, Dr. Nartey said registering with the FDB would lead to the stoppage of the Federation's trade because under Scedule 11 (Section 15) of FDB law, the treatment and care of certain chronic diseases which can be done only by traditional healers, has been banned. Dr Nartey said the consultative committee has been formed to provide a platform for a dialogue with the Ministry of Health and other health-related institutions for a quick integration of traditional medicine into the mainstream to enhance the Primary Health Care (PHC) programme. GRI