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Residents of Oshieye, a Ga fishing community near
Kokrobite, a suburb of Accra, were on Thursday, June 13, 2019, traumatised when
armed men in military apparel descended heavily on them.
The six-hour siege which started around 1:00am entailed
searching of targeted houses, arresting of townsfolk, blocking of main road and
the curtailing of movement of residents.
At the end of the operation, about 22 members of the
community made up of elders, women and some youth were taken away by the armed
men.
When DAILY GUIDE visited the community at
about 4:00pm on the day of incident, the community was still at a standstill
after the armed men had left the area.
Some youth were seen clad in red while children gathered
around their parents anxiously waiting for the return of their relatives.
According to some residents, the military were
operating under the guidance of some masked civilians who led them to the houses
of residents.
There was evidence of ransacked rooms and broken doors
that had marks of combat boots showing signs of forceful entry into the houses.
Chief of the community Nii Akrashie II recounted to DAILY
GUIDE a similar event which occurred two years ago when some elders of
the community were arrested under a similar circumstance; a day before the ban
on noise making was lifted.
Being part of those arrested, he was taken into police
custody and was not given any reason as to why he was arrested.
He disclosed that he managed to escape the recent
insurgence from men who claimed to be operating under “orders from
above” because he had picked up earlier signals.
“They said they would bring to town a new chief which
they had installed somewhere and they would not want any of us to be present
when that happens,” he said.
According to him, the police in charge of the
jurisdiction have denied any prior knowledge of the operation that occurred.
Nii Akrashie expressed surprise at the turn of events
by saying that the community has been peaceful for the past one year since a
peace process was initiated to resolve a longstanding chieftaincy and land
dispute.
The factions – Akrashie and Nii Afadi Annoh – were
hosted at a meeting which was attended by the Weija Divisional Commander, Chief
Superintendent Kwesi Annor Arhin, and chaired by the Municipal Chief Executive
of the Ga South Municipal Assembly, Mr Joseph Nyarni Stephen.
Members of both factions have over the years accused
each other of allegedly brutalising one another which has led to loss of lives.
Out of fear for their lives, some factions have also
fled the community leaving properties, women and children behind.
The chieftaincy issue is before the Chieftaincy
Dispute Arbitration Committee of the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council at
James Town, Accra.
Chief Superintendent Arhin made it clear that issues that were before the law court were beyond the remits of the police and the municipal chief executive.
By Issah Mohammed
The post Oshieye Under Seige appeared first on DailyGuide Network.
