Dr. Archiebald Letsa, Volta Regional Minister
Three persons have so far died in renewed clashes between indigenes of Nkonya and Alavanyo over land in less than a week.
In the latest incident on Friday, 21st April 2017, a 17-year-old lady was reportedly shot dead in Nkonya by some unidentified gunmen.
The unidentified girl, who sustained gunshot wounds in the neck, died upon arrival at the Margaret Marquart Hospital in Kpando.
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archiebald Letsa, who confirmed the incident to the press, assured that the security in the area has been beefed up since the shooting on Wednesday, saying “the security agencies were working hard to keep the peace.”
Three persons have already died while two others sustained injuries in Nkonya Ahenkro after a shooting incident last Wednesday evening.
Police and military personnel were deployed to both towns to maintain the peace and arrest suspects.
However, less than 48 hours after the incident on Wednesday, a 17-year-old also died, bringing the death toll to three.
The Regional Minister explained that the security personnel in the area heard some gunshots in the Nkonya township and quickly moved in.
Unfortunately, the culprits absconded before the Police could got to the scene.
According to reports, the young lady, who was on an errand in the area at the time, was hit by stray bullets in the Nkonya Township.
History
Residents of Nkonya in the Biakoye District and Alavanyo in the Hohoe Municipality have been fighting over a land covering an area of about 6,459.82 acres for close to a century now.
It’s believed that the arable land has timber and deposits of gold, clay and mercury.
Several attempts to broker peace between the two parties have proved futile due to recurrent attacks.
Government has indicated its preparedness to confiscate the land for some developmental projects to bring peace to the area.
The two communities are lagging behind in terms of development since funds allocated to the area are mostly used for peace-keeping operations.
Suspension
To avert the deadly attacks, the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, has suspended the Paramount chiefs and queen mothers of the two traditional areas indefinitely from the House.
The President of the House, Nana Soglo Alloh, said that the leaders of the two sides must take responsibility and control their subjects.
However, the Paramount Chief of Alavanyo, Togbe Tsedze Atakora, has described the suspension as misplaced since it would not help solve the problem.
He called on the security agencies to work hard to arrest the criminals, who are hiding in the bush to kill people at will.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (freduoo@gmail.com)