Police, military restore calm at Ashaiman
A combined team of police and military personnel managed to restore order at Ashaiman after a demonstration by some groups of people turned violent in the early hours of Monday.
The security was able to arrest 11 people as part of the demonstrators, who staged the protest to register their discontentment over the bad nature of roads in the Ashaiman Municipality.
Chief Superintendent of Police David Eklu, Ashaiman Divisional Police Commander told the Ghana News Agency that the Police was informed about the demonstration at about 0500 hours on Monday.
He said the demonstrators mounted road blocks and prevented vehicles from moving.
“They burnt lorry tyres at ten major road points on the main road, as well as major intersections,” said Chief Supt Eklu.
He said they attacked drivers moving to and from Accra and scared off toll booth attendants at the Ashaiman end of the motorway, halting the collection of tolls for some time as a result.
The Police Commander said initially a contingent of personnel from the Ashaiman Divisional Command was sent to restore peace but later it became necessary to call for reinforcement from the Tema District and the Accra Regional Command including officers from the military.
He said the security engaged the various transport unions’ leaders in discussions and asked them to call on their members to stop the demonstration.
“Although they managed to stop their people, others took advantage of the situation and threw stones at security personnel and also harassed drivers for money, among other forms of misbehavior,” he said.
Chief Supt Eklu said a police man from the Tema Buffalo Police Unit got injured and two police cars damaged.
He said after orders for the crowd to disperse were ignored, the Police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
“So far, eleven people have been arrested and they would be screened,” he said and added that about 200 personnel had been deployed at strategic locations within the Municipality to enforce order.
“We warn those who seek to wreck havoc that we would deal with them according to the law once they are arrested.”
Numo Abinortey Addison, the Municipal Chief Executive of the Ashaiman Assembly, said the contractor working on the potholes had stopped work due to lack of funds.
He appealed for calm and said work on the pot-holes would soon resume.
Source: GNA