Nine arrested for staging ‘illegal protest’
Nine Kumasi traders were last Monday arrested for staging what the police described as an unlawful demonstration.
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They were arrested in front of the offices of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) where they had assembled to protest the refusal of the KMA to ensure that all traders moved from the precincts of the demolished Kejetia Bus Terminal were allocated places at the Race Course.
Confirming the arrest to the Daily Graphic, the Ashanti Regional Public Affairs Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Mohammed Yussif Tanko, said the group embarked on an “illegal demonstration, contrary to the Public Order Act”.
He said the group failed to inform the police about the demonstration, and since the service was not aware of the group’s action, it constituted a breach of the Public Order Act.
He said those arrested would be put before court.
Agitation
Traders who were operating in and around the Kejetia Terminal have been moved to the Race Course to pave the way for the start of the redevelopment of the Kejetia Lorry Terminal.
The protestors said the continued presence of most of the drivers and traders on the streets was affecting sales at the Race Course. Therefore, they wanted the KMA to compel those on the streets to move to the Race Course.
According to them, if they all moved to the Race Course, the public would be attracted to the place to do business there.
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No demo
One of the affected traders, Maame Bea, however, disagreed with the police that they had been on a demonstration.
She said they had been at the KMA offices to appeal to the authority to help relocate vehicles and traders from the streets to the Race Course to allow for the redevelopment of the Kejetia Bus Terminal.
KMA
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the KMA, Mr Godwin Okumah Nyame, corroborated Maame Bea’s story, saying: “I would not call that a demonstration. They were here to ask the KMA to force the people to move to the Race Course.”
According to him, the traders had met with the Chief Executive of the KMA, Mr Kojo Bonsu, and appealed to him to help move the vehicles and traders to the Race Course.