Illegal structures in East Legon ‘Atemuda’ pulled down

The Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly, together with a team of police personnel of the Accra Regional Police Command, last Tuesday demolished illegal structures at Atemuda, a slum at East Legon.

The exercise formed part of exercises carried out by the authorities in places such as the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and its environs as well as the Accra Business District to keep the city safe and clean.

Scores of structures, including a popular drinking spot “Atemuda Bar” and other unauthorised structures used for commercial purposes were demolished.

Most of the structures had completely overtaken the pavement, risking the safety of pedestrians in the area.

Prior to the demolition exercise, squatters had ignored eviction notices giving them up to October 11, 2017.

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Clean Ghana agenda

Leading the taskforce, the Accra Regional Director of Police Operations, Superintendent Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic that the exercise was neccessary to decongest the city and free the pavements.

He said that the exercise was also in response to complaints by residents criminal activities and prostitution were going on at night.

Supt Ofori expressed the commitment of the police to support the authorities to enforce bye-laws in the city, saying the exercise would be extended to other parts of the city to ensure a clean city.

“We’re going to extend this exercise to other areas. The mayor has also made his intention clear that he is going to clean the city and a law enforcement agency, we’ll support the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in its strive to clean the mess in the city,” he said.

The exercise

For his part, the Chief Technical Officer at the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly, Mr Augustine Okine, explained that the exercise was to free the pavements of unauthorised structures and to protect the lives of residents in the area.

“The area has been described as a hub for criminal activities, including prostitution, which has consequently put the lives of residents at risk.

“Residents had, for some time now, complained about the increase of criminal activities in the area, thus fearing for their safety,” he added.

He said the assembly would also clear illegal structures around the American House High-Tension, an area within East Legon, which he said, had also been turned into a market.