Ghana Police has granted actress Efia Odo and over ten other campaigners bail hours after their arrests on Friday.

Police released all the campaigners they arrested on self-recognizance bail after some three hours of interrogation on why they gathered in front of a law court complex.

This came after lawyers of the campaigners demanded their release from the Accra Regional Police Command.

Actress Efia Odo announced her release on social media.

“Bail granted. A cause worth fighting for,” she posted on Twitter.

Ghana Police had earlier secured an injunction to stop #FixTheCountry protests.

Despite efforts to establish cause of arrest, the Police didn’t state clear reasons for the arrest of the campaigners who gathered during the court hearing.

FreeEfiaOdo was the number one trend on Twitter following the arrests.

The court after hearing legal arguments from lawyers on both sides on Friday adjourned the proceedings to deliver ruling around 1.30pm.

But while the arguments were going on, some FixTheCountry campaigners pitched their camp in front of the law court complex holding placards.

Supporters of the campaign are already pushing for police to release some 15 members in police detention.

What is #Fix the Country

Youths in Ghana started online protests around May 3 to complain about the harsh economic conditions in their country.

They planned a street protest on Sunday May 9 but Ghana Police secured a court injunction against that demonstration.

The Police Service filed a motion in which they asked the court to stop the street protests from happening untill restrictions on public gatherings due to Covid-19 is lifted.

Despite that the Supreme Court threw out the first ex-parte application, police filed another one again at an Accra High Court.

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Biomedical Scientists in Ghana say the more deadlier Indian strain of Covid-19 has entered the country.

Head of West Africa Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens, Professor Gordon Awendare confirmed news of the Indian variant in Ghana.

The Indian strain which is nicknamed ‘Delta’ according to World Health Organization (WHO) is the new “variant of concern.”

This variant is one of forty-five (45) variants which is already in the country.

But biomedical science officials say the presence of this variant is alarming.

This is due to the stubborn nature of the virus strain which most vaccines like AstraZeneca and Sputnik V are ineffective against.

Professor Gordon Awendare revealed that “All this while, we’ve been following AstraZeneca then Sputnik V.

“But now we’ll shift towards Pfizer and others which gives better chance at protecting against the virus.”

This new variant will be the second after the genomic sequencing by Ghanaian scientists discovered a new variant of Covid in January, 2021.

How the Indian variant entered Ghana

Health Officials say the Indian variant entered Ghana through the airport as borders became open to people to go in and out.

Professor Awendare revealed that the country could have stepped up safety protocols at the main entry point like the Airports to stop the importation of this virus.

Studies into this virus shows that it spreads more easily compared to other Covid-19 variants.

Health Authorities are starting to make moves to address the presence of this virus and manage its spread in Ghana.

Ghana has recorded 95,059 cases of Covid-19 since the virus first entered the country last year, according to Worldometer coronavirus update today.

Out of this number 93,005 people recovered while 794 people died.

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The operation by Accra Regional Police Command happened after the recent daylight bullion van robbery.

During that particular crime, robbers killed one police officer and a bystander in Jamestown.

The three day operation according to Accra Regional Police Command started on Thursday which led to a round up swoop on Sunday.

During the swoop, Police seized some 168 motorbikes, parcels of weed, tramadol, and some sharp objects.

The police swoop happened in over ten communities.

Accra Regional Police Command PRO, Effia Tenge confirmed the swoop to reporter.

“This is a part of series of exercises the Command had began since the beginning of the year.

“The three day operation is part of efforts to fight voilent crimes, drug peddling and street robberies.” ASP Effia Tenge said.

The police swoop happened in over ten communities which includes:

Korle Bu, Tesano, Amasaman, Nima, Dansoman, Abokobi, Accra Central, Teshie, Madina, Batsona, Jamestown, Osu den Lakeside.

Security Officials said they started screening the suspects to narrow down on those who are involved in various crimes for prosecution.

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This meeting is the follow up to the February 2021 extra ordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States [Ecowas].

Nigerian leaders, President Muhammadu Buhari and former president Goodluck Jonathan have landed in Accra, for the ECOWAS meeting.

They joined other West African leaders who are also attending the regional block summit that President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana is hosting.

Ecowas summit 2021: See the agenda for the 59th Ordinary Session

President Akufo-Addo told other West African leaders in attendance on Saturday that they will go behind closed door to discuss the following:

• Covid19 Response
• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
• Eco – West African single Currency
• Rotation of leadership within the region and continent
• Security challenges and terror attacks in West Africa
• Sea Piracy – Operational maritime centers to battle this concern
• The political crisis in Mali
• Strength of the regional block

Before this 19 June Ecowas summit, the west African regional power house earlier held an emergency meeting on Sunday May 30 2021.

The one-day meeting in Accra was to discuss the situation in Mali where the coup leader there Col Assimi Goïta declared himself president on 24 May.

Ghana’s President who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS, convened the member head of states to come and discuss Mali crisis.

During this 59th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Governments former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan will present a report.

Jonathan is the Ecowas special envoy on Mali and will brief the west African leaders on the double coup in Mali.

Host Ghana is also expected to use this meeting to address the need to review Africa’s position in the UN Security Council.

President Akufo-Addo who hinted this during the opening ceremony on Saturday also hailed some west African countries.

He commended them for their successful conduct of elections and change of political leadership recently in their nations.

Nigeria also condemned the 24 May coup, plus how soldiers come detained Mali president and prime minister.

Louise Mushikiwabo, the secretary general of La Francophonie also addressed the event as a special guest invited by the Ecowas chairman.

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