Angry youth storm Atebubu Police Station in protest of the arrest of an assembly member.
Following the arrest of an Assembly Member, some enraged youth in the Atebubu-Amantin Municipality of the Bono East Region besieged the Atebubu Municipal Police Station on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
Over 200 youth from farming communities including Jato Zongo, Sampa, and Asanteboa gathered in front of the police station around 7:00 a.m. to demand the immediate release of Issaku Asomah, an Assembly Member who had been detained.
Even a warning shot from the police could not disperse the enraged crowd that had gathered on their grounds to demand the release of the Assembly Member.
The visibly agitated crowd was outraged by the arrest of the Assembly Member, who they claimed had committed no crime, but timely intervention by the Divisional Police Commander, ACP Samuel Alordey, kept the situation from escalating.
Issahaku Mohammed described the incident as a confrontation between some farmers and a company over farmlands in Abour Tiatia.
He went on to say that the company later reported the incident to police, accusing the farmers of attacking and destroying a tractor belonging to the company, which led to the arrest.
"A dispute arose between some farmers and a cassava company over our farmlands, which we have been working on for years." The company reported that they had been attacked, so the Assembly Member was arrested at dawn, prompting the youth to storm the police station demanding his release."
Another youth, Amadu Yakubu, warned that the arrest of the Assembly Member will not frighten them, and that the youth are prepared to fight the company no matter what the consequences are.
Although the police have refused to comment, GhanaWeb has been reliably informed that Issaku Asomah was later released following a series of engagements.
Issaku Asomah in a phone interview told this reporter that he was picked up by five police officers around 4:30 am for allegedly inciting the farmers to destroy the tractor, an allegation he flatly denies.
“Five police officers came and picked me up whilst I was asleep and brought me to the police station but I was later released and I am home now. I am innocent of the allegation they are accusing me of”.
He has appealed to the traditional authorities and other stakeholders to immediately step in and prevent the company from taking over the over 1000 hectares since the people are predominantly farmers and the move will deprive them of their livelihood.
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