CONFUSION ERUPTED at Ashaiman yesterday when some aggrieved commercial motorbike operators, commonly known as ‘Okada riders’, attacked the Divisional Police Headquarters in the area for being arrested.
To express their displeasure against their arrest, about 200 irate riders clad in red dresses and bands pelted the police personnel with stones and other offensive weapons thereby causing damage to one vehicle and the glazing windows of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU).
They further barricaded the Mandela Park-Official Town route with vehicles, wooden tables and pieces of wood to prevent movement of vehicles.
The action of the riders also resulted in head injury to the Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of Ashaiman.
It would be recalled that last week, the Divisional Police embarked on special operation to raid the area of illegal commercial motorbikes operators, leading to the arrest of over 82 motorbikes and 45 riders.
Some of the arrested riders were arraigned before court and slapped with fines by the Ashaiman Circuit Court.
This triggered the attack yesterday when they converged on the ‘Sakasaka Park’ to embark on demonstration over the arrest but they were stopped by the police when holding a meeting to commence the protest.
The police dispersed them with the hope that they had calmed down but after some hours some of the riders regrouped and stormed the Divisional Headquarters, where they started displaying with their motorbikes on the premises of the police station.
The police called for re-enforcement from the Special Weapons Tactics Squad (SWAT) of the Tema Regional Police Command, which brought the situation under control.
Teargas
Teargas and warning shots were fired to disperse the huge crowd that converged around the police station when they abandoned the motorbikes on the premises and bolted. The aggrieved riders also retaliated by pelting officers with stones.
However, no person was arrested in connection with the incident but the police impounded over 50 motorbikes abandoned at the station.
Speaking with the DAILY GUIDE, the Commander of the Divisional MTTD, DSP Isaac K. Forson, explained that the youth were aggrieved because of the fines slapped on them by the Ashaiman Circuit Court when they were arraigned last Friday.
He further stated that he was in the process of releasing the motorbikes when he started hearing unusual noises emanating from outside the office, adding that “I stepped out to find out what was happening only to see a number of them, more than 200 Okada riders in front of the Divisional Command making noise and saying all sorts of things. We called for reinforcement and also decided to use teargas”.
DSP Forson also said he sustained an injury on the head due to the riot. He continued “when we started using teargas and they were running, they started throwing big stones to the extent that they have smashed one service vehicle and one stone also hit my head. I had a deep cut.”
From Vincent Kubi & Emma Davies, Ashaiman