Three Vehicles burnt in ‘reprisal attack’
Three vehicles belonging to a private company, the 21st Century Construction Limited, have been burnt by persons suspected to be sympathisers of people whose buildings were demolished on a parcel of land at the Millennium City, near Kasoa in the Central Region.
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It is believed that those who torched the vehicles had suspected the company to have carried out the demolition exercise.
However, the Kasoa police confirmed to the Daily Graphic that the 20 buildings were pulled down by 15 operatives from the Rapid Deployment Unit of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
A Senior Collector of the Customs Division, Mr Konadu Yiadom, who the police said led members of the Customs team to carry out the action, is in police custody assisting in investigations, according to the Kasoa Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent of Police Mr Samuel Punobyin.
Demolished Houses
Out of the 20 buildings that were demolished, five were completed and the others were at various stages of completion.
According to the Municipal Police Commander, about 6 a.m. on Sunday, the police had information that some houses were being demolished at Sectors Four and Five at the Millennium City, following which the police proceeded to the scene.
He said on reaching the scene, the police met about 15 CEPS officials, led by Senior Collector Konadu Yiadom and RSM Paul Achaab, both from the CEPS Rapid Deployment Unit at the CEPS Headquarters.
“When they were asked they told us that the land was acquired from 21st Century Company Limited, owned by Mr Kofi Asmah. They (CEPS officials) told the police that they had warned developers several times to stay away from the land, hence the action,” he said.
Mr Punobyin said the police were not informed before the demolition was carried out.
Chief Executive of 21st Century Construction Limited
In a telephone interview, Mr Asmah said he had no hand in the demolition of the houses at Sectors Four and Five in his area and that he sold the land to CEPS about 10 years ago.
At the company’s site, two security men – Messrs James Kwesi Morrison and Kwesi Adjei — said they were at work when a group of young men on motorbikes, accompanied by two vehicles, arrived at the site.
“When they got down they said our boss had demolished their houses and so they would also burn his vehicles,” Mr Adjei said, adding that shortly after that he saw the vehicles on fire.
Victims
Meanwhile, victims of the demolition told the Daily Graphic in separate interviews that they had bought their land from the chief of Nyanyano.
By Emmanuel Bonney/Daily Graphic/Ghana