SHOT! Marcus Mawutor Adzahli
One person was yesterday hit by a stray bullet in a mayhem that engulfed Sogakope in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region.
Shots were fired as hundreds of residents of the town on the Accra-Aflao highway protested the death of their Assemblyman, Marcus Mawutor Adzahli, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants.
The victim of the stray bullet, who is said to be a young man whose identity was not immediately known, is reported to have suffered his fate in the leg after the District Police Commander, Michael Zah, fired some shots when the crowd became unmanageable.
The demonstrators blocked the main Accra-Aflao highway at the barrier, near the Lower Volta Bridge at Sogakope.
Another section of the residents descended upon the Police Station again like they did last Sunday to ostensibly close it down.
In an attempt to disperse the crowd, three persons were shot. This latest development infuriated the youth, numbering over a thousand, who insisted that the police in the area be replaced lest Sogakope is turned into bedlam.
Wisdom Yaw Vinyo, a member of the Concerned Citizens of Tongu, told DAILY GUIDE that “until the police here are all taken away and replaced with new ones, the youth are not going to kowtow.”
The protests started at about 10:00am after the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yaw Letsa, had led a delegation to the area to assess the situation on the ground and subsequently called for calm.
Heavy Military Presence
The latest wave of protests which had also seen the burning of tyres and chanting of war songs has seen the deployment of the anti-riot cops supported by soldiers to restore order.
GH¢10,000 Bounty
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Emmanuel Luis Agama, earlier in the day, announced a GH¢c10,000 bounty for the arrest of the assailants of Marcus, who is a popular business man in the area and a recently elected assemblyman.
The DCE gave an assurance that the District Security Committee (DISEC) was collaborating with the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to find ways to assist the police to round up the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
He appealed to the residents to volunteer prompt information in any form they could to help gather adequate clues to arrest the assailants. Meanwhile, relative calm has returned to Sogakope, although many are still seen loitering the streets. The regional minister is in a crunch meeting with the various security agencies to deal with the matter.
Residents of Sogakope South Electoral Area of the Volta Region yesterday blocked the main Accra-Aflao road at the Sagakope Bridge for the second time over the murder of Adzhali, who was also a mobile money merchant.
The incident occurred when Dr. Letsa visited the area to commiserate with the family of the late assemblyman.
The residents, many of whom chanted war songs, accused the police of always arriving late during distress calls.
According to the residents, the late response of the police to criminal activities in the area cannot safeguard their security, adding that mere comments from the regional minister would not improve the situation.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)