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Three dead,
several injured in Ashaiman Police/Drivers clash
Ashaiman, June 3, Ghanadot/GNA– Three people are reported
dead and several others, including police personnel injured,
in a clash between the Ashaiman Police and commercial
drivers over wrongful parking at Ashaiman, on Tuesday
morning.
The drivers had refused to park within a parking lot
provided for them,
and rather parked by the roadside, thus causing traffic jam.
The drivers were demanding the release of their colleagues,
who had been arrested for parking at a “no parking” area.
The two, who were killed by stray bullets were a nine-year
old boy, an ice water seller and a driver whose name was
given as Alhaji, believed to be in his twenties.
The third had not been identified.
Early Tuesday morning, the drivers blocked all roads leading
to Ashaiman and burnt lorry tyres to express their
displeasure at the arrest of their colleagues by the
Ashaiman MTTU.
As at 1020 hours a few soldiers from the First Battalion of
Infantry, Michel Camp come to assist the over 200 police
personnel from Ashaiman and Tema to bring the situation
under control.
The drivers, joined by a mob also threatened to burn down
the police station and journalists who were trapped in the
attack had to take cover, while the Tema Regional Police
Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) John Kudalor
who had rushed there to quell the situation was also not
spared as he was injured on the forehead.
The Ashaiman Divisional Commander, of the Motor Transport
and Unit (MTTU) ASP Timothy Dassah said commercial drivers
at Ashaiman had ignored several warnings by the Ashaiman
Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTT) to stop parking
wrongfully by the road side and rather use the parking lot
meant for them.
To enforce this, about 0600 hours the MTTU personnel
arrested four drivers and this infuriated the others who
started throwing stones and other missiles at the police to
demand the release of their colleagues.
At this juncture the crowd increased and a clash ensued
between the police and drivers who were joined by the mob
and in the process, the three lost their lives.
ASP Dassah expressed surprise that officials of the Ashaiman
branch of the GPRTU did not dialogue for the release of
their colleagues but rather resorted to violence.
At the time of going to press sporadic shooting was
over-heard in the background apparently to disperse the mob
but they would not budge.
GNA
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