Some of the demolished shops and homes of the affected people
Several people at Santasi roundabout in Kumasi have lost their source of income after their shops were destroyed during a massive demolishing exercise on Thursday.
Scores of shops and homes of people, mainly constructed with woods, were demolished during the exercise which was led by armed policemen.
The affected people initially put up some level of resistance, but they were eventually overpowered by the policemen.
Speaking with DAILY GUIDE, ASP Mohammed Yussif Tanko, the Ashanti Regional Police PRO, said the action was undertaken following a court order.
He said the court ordered for the demolition exercise in January 2016, but the police delayed the exercise and rather engaged in talks with the squatters to vacate the place.
According to him, the recalcitrant squatters seemed not ready to vacate the land, so the police had no other option than to help the bailiff to demolish the structures on Thursday.
Delving deep into the case, ASP Tanko pointed out that the land in question is a government land which had been leased to a private person.
The police PRO said the owner of the land went to the place only to meet scores of squatters, some whom were doing business there, with others living on it in constructed with wooden structures.
The land owner, he added, went to court with his documents and secured an order to remove the squatters from the place so that he can develop the place.
ASP Tanko said the police initially gave a human face to the issue by engaging the squatters to leave the place in peace.
He disclosed that after a year, the squatters were still on the land so the police and the bailiff had no option than to eject the squatters from the place.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi