Five arrested for attacking policeman
Five persons, including a woman, have been arrested by the police in the Central Gonja District in the Northern Region for an attack on a policeman from Buipe last Sunday.
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The policeman, who is currently on admission at a health facility at Buipe, was allegedly attacked by some people believed to be members of the Konkomba community at Nigeria Camp, near Mpaha.
The police have retrieved an AK47 assault rifle that was seized from the policeman when he was attacked.
The policeman was part of a team, including volunteers, which had been detailed to effect the arrest of people using DDT, a poisonous chemical, to engage in fishing in the Bonche River, which also serves as the source of drinking water for 15 communities in the area.
Confirmation
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Mumuni Shiraz Ibn Yacin, confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic in Tamale in an interview but could not provide the names of the suspects arrested.
He said they would be processed for court soon.
Narration
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident, the Deputy District Police Commander for Central Gonja, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Kwame Boadi, said the Chief of Mpaha heard that some members of the Konkomba community in a village called Nigeria Camp were using a mixture of DDT and weedicide to fish in the Bonche River, a tributary of the Black Volta that serves as drinking water for about 15 communities.
He explained that the chief sent his son to report the matter to the police, so that the perpetrators could be stopped.
He added that two policemen were dispatched to Nigeria Camp, together with the chief's son and seven volunteers from Mpaha.
Mr Boadi said due to the impassable nature of the road to Nigeria Camp, the policemen and the volunteers used motorbikes.
He added that when they got to the village, they found that the report was true, leading to the arrest of three persons.
Attack
Mr Boadi said after the arrest, one of the policemen joined the chief's son on his motorbike and took the lead, leaving the other members of the team, together with the suspects, at Nigeria Camp.
According to Mr Boadi, the policemen and the chief's son missed their way on their return and were attacked by some members of the Konkomba community.
He said the policeman was hit on the head with a hoe but the chief's son managed to escape unhurt.
He debunked an earlier report in a section of the media that one person had been killed following a clash between members of the Konkomba and the Gonja communities in the area.