Bloody day in Ashanti
Bloody and violent scenes were recorded in two towns in the Ashanti Region Wednesday, resulting in the loss of three lives.
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At Asante Mampong, the police mistook two persons for armed robbers and shot them dead, while at Tafo, a suburb of Kumasi, a dispute over land led to the death of another person.
In the case of Mampong, the police were said to have responded to a distress call from an Anatomy and Physiology tutor of the Mampong Nursing and Midwifery Training College, but in the process of dealing with the robbers, they shot dead another teacher, Francis Gbene, 33, and his younger brother, Thadeus Gbene, 29, who had arrived from their village in the Upper West Region on a visit on Tuesday night.
In another development, a bloody dispute between Muslims in Tafo and the chiefs and people of Tafo over land brought the whole community to a standstill, forcing the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Tafo.
In the Tafo incident, one person, identified only as Suleman, was confirmed dead after clashes between the Muslim youth and traditional authorities over the piece of land, said to have been given to the Muslims for a cemetery but allegedly said to have been sold to some developers.
The rampaging youth smashed windscreens of cars, glasses in front of offices, set tables ablaze and engaged in a free-for-all on the streets.
Market women had to desert their stalls and run for their dear lives as the youth attacked anyone they met on their way.
Mampong
At Mampong, the two victims were said to be responding to an SOS from a female tutor whose residence had reportedly been targeted by robbers when they were caught in crossfire from the police.
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Ironically, the victims were shot from behind while on their way out of the school compound. The house where the robbery was supposed to be taking place was just a street behind the victims’ house.
The suspected robbers, it was alleged, fled when they realised that an alarm had been raised, before the deceased tutor and his brother arrived at the scene on a motorbike.
According to the police, a patrol team was also informed and headed towards the school.
Mr Gbene and his brother who were then returning to their apartment after failing to arrest the robbers, were spotted by the police at a distance, mistaken as the suspected robbers and shot at , killing them instantly.
Police
Confirming the incident, the Mampong District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police, Mr Bismark Agyapong, said the police had a phone call that the school had been attacked by armed robbers at about 1:30am.
He said the patrol team quickly went to the scene and were told that the robbers were hiding behind a house.
According to him, the team decided to patrol the area and all of sudden they heard the sound of a motorbike. When the police signalled the riders to stop, they failed and the police opened fire, only to realise later that they were not the target.
Tafo
The Ashanti Regional Security Council had to impose a curfew on Tafo following clashes over a piece of land used by the Muslims as a cemetery.
The incident occurred when the Muslim youth were said to be building a fence around a portion of the cemetery that had been allotted to the Muslim community to bury their dead; a move that was said to have angered the local youth.
The Muslims claimed the piece of land had been encroached upon by some mechanics from Suame who had resettled there. They therefore wanted to build the fence the place to secure the land.
However, the chief opposed their move and explained that the Muslims had gone beyond their bounds.
Last Saturday, there was a confrontation between the chief of the area and the Muslim community over the same issue, during which the chief was allegedly assaulted.
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Early Wednesday morning, the Muslim youth tried to continue with the fencing of the cemetery, but were prevented from doing so by the youth from the area. This led to the conflict which spread onto the streets.
Both sides retreated, regrouped at other places and attacked their opponents.
One killed
In the melee, one person whose name was only given as Suleman tried to enter the banking hall of the Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank.
They were asked to go back but they refused, forcing the security man on duty to shoot him.
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He was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital where he was allegedly pronounced dead on arrival.
But for the timely intervention of the police, many more lives would have been lost since the irate Muslim youth went round attacking people they met on the streets.
At the time of going to press, security personnel had been deployed in the area to protect life and property.