Police clash with irate youth over sale of Ejisu market

daniel russell

May 18, 2015 8:12 AM

Police officers barricaded the entrance and asked the demonstrators to make a detour but they would not budge

Police in Ejisu in the Ashanti Region clashed with irate youth in the area who were demonstrating against their chief, Nana Afranie Okesse IV, and the Municipal Assembly, over the sale of a portion of the market to a private developer.

For more than one and half hours, the protesters engaged in a street battle with the police until reinforcement from the Kumasi and Effiduase command restored calm. Five people, including two women, were arrested and are being held by the police, according to Chief Superintendent Laar Baman, the Municipal Commander. The youth are unhappy with the decision to sell the land because they fear the stores, which would be built by the developer, would be priced higher than what petty traders can afford.

To send a clear message of disapproval to their chief and the assembly, they hit the streets in their numbers early in the morning and all had gone peaceful until they came close to the chief’s palace when violence began. Police officers barricaded the entrance and asked the demonstrators to make a detour but they would not budge. According to eyewitnesses, the scene turned violent when the protesters started throwing stones at the police who responded by throwing teargas. They however stated that no one was hurt in the process.

Source: GNA

daniel russell