Three members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) taskforce, including a military officer, were injured on Wednesday afternoon after residents at the Asafo overpass resisted the demolition of unauthorized structures.
The operation to demolish the structures behind the COCOBOD building in Kumasi was met with resistance from squatters, who argued that they had not been served prior notice. The taskforce, backed by police and military personnel, had moved in to take down the shacks and wooden kiosks, which the Assembly said were illegally erected and obstructing the free flow of the Subin River.
This has contributed to perennial flooding in parts of the metropolis.
The situation turned violent when occupants of the structures attempted to prevent officials from carrying out the exercise. Residents started throwing stones, sticks, and other objects at the team, forcing members of the taskforce to retreat temporarily to regroup and avoid further injury.
Despite a warning shot being fired by one of the military officers on the team, residents continued to hurl objects at them. In the chaos, two of the taskforce pickups and the excavator being used for the demolition were vandalised, with windscreens shattered and tyres deflated.
The affected traders in the area were seen salvaging their wares from the debris as bulldozers moved in to clear the area. Speaking to JoyNews after the exercise was suspended, Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori-Agyemang Boadi said the Ashanti Regional Police Command had received a report on the incident and would conduct investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice. He confirmed that all three injured personnel were in stable condition and had been issued with medical forms to seek treatment at the hospital.
The Mayor stressed that despite the incident, the operation would resume to ensure sanity was restored in the area. He noted that the area had become a hub for many illegal activities, including prostitution, drug abuse, and other vices by some youth. “There are so many illegal activities going on there.
We cannot allow this to continue.
This place has also become a security threat,” the Mayor stated. The KMA taskforce is set to regroup and resume the demolition exercise, with the aim of restoring order and preventing flooding in the area.
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