Three officers of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) were injured after residents allegedly attacked an Assembly taskforce during a demolition exercise behind the COCOBOD building at Adum, near the Asafo Overpass, on Wednesday, July 8.
The confrontation also led to the vandalism of several Assembly vehicles and equipment as residents occupying makeshift structures resisted attempts to remove what the KMA described as illegal structures built along waterways.
According to the Assembly, the demolition formed part of an exercise to clear encroachments obstructing drainage channels and create access for the desilting of major drains ahead of the peak rainy season to reduce the risk of flooding.
Commenting on the incident, Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi said the attack would not deter the Assembly from enforcing measures aimed at protecting lives and property.
“Our intention is to clear them and then desilt the place. Some of our vehicles have been vandalised. We have lost one pick-up in the process, an excavator was vandalised, and about three or four of our officers were injured.
“There’s no way I will sit down for illegality to prevail. We will repair the damaged equipment and put it back to work,” he said.
The Mayor added that the injured officers would receive medical treatment after the police completed documentation of the incident.
Some of the affected residents, however, disputed the Assembly’s position, insisting they had lawfully acquired the land and were not given prior notice before the demolition exercise began.
“We paid money before they gave us the land. Nobody was living here when we moved to this place. The place was only occupied by thieves. We were not given prior notice to vacate the place,” one resident told journalists.
The incident highlights the growing tensions between city authorities and informal settlers as the KMA intensifies efforts to remove structures obstructing waterways in a bid to prevent flooding during the rainy season.
