2 police vehicles, 1 AK47 retrieved from secessionist

The North Tongu District Formed Police Unit (FPU) has retrieved two police vehicles and an AK47 gun as part of the items made away with by the Secessionist group, Western Togoland Restoration Front.

The vehicles and gun were retrieved on the night of Saturday, 26 September 2020.

The vehicles and gun formed part of items that the group made away with, after they attacked the Aveyime Police Station.

They were alleged to have freed two inmates of the Police Cell and locked up some Police Officers who were on duty at the time.

Class News’ Volta Regional Correspondent Albert Kuzor reported that the group deflated the tyres of two private vehicles belonging to police personnel and a police vehicle which was at the station.

The group also seized the mobile phones of personnel on duty and physically assaulted and threatened the lives of the personnel.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for the area, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on Sunday, 27 September 2020 visited the crime scene to assess the level of damage.

Addressing the media during the visit, the North Tongu MP noted: “I’m deeply troubled and worried, what we’ve seen today it does not portend well. I’m wondering why the North Tongu constituency was targeted in this coordinated invasion.”

Mr Ablakwa indicated that the National Security and the entire Security establishment of the country has failed and called on government intervene and curb the activities of the group.

“What is clear to me is the that National Security will have to sit up, this is a clear case of intelligence failure, it is clear that this whole secessionist agenda has now metamorphosed into something else, you are having splinter groups now, now I do not know as the member of Parliament how many groups are out there and how many of my youth are exposed to this groups.

“I also do not know at this point exactly what the situation is so far as the whole organization of the group is concerned. National Security and the entire security architecture of our country clearly has been caught unaware and the whole security establishment of our country has been exposed. And the Ghanaian government that has the constitutional mandate to protect us must sit up”.

Mr Ablakwa also urged the youth of the area to desist from supporting the group.

Three Western Togolanders sustained gunshot wounds when members of the secessionist group blocked major entries into the South Tongu Constituency of the Volta Region, District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Louis Agama, has confirmed.

Twenty-five of the Togolanders were also arrested by the police and military.

The group mounted the blockade on Friday dawn, 25 September 2020 at Tefle Junction and Bakpa-Tademe.

Mr Agama told Class News’ Volta regional correspondent Albert Kuzor that: “Just this dawn, we had a call that a group calling themselves Western Togolanders came into my district. I learned they’re from Battor Area. Some youth mobilised themselves, about 100 of them. They were here, they blocked the roads with lorry tyres and wood logs. We had to call in the security men, the navy from Agortah to come and restore the situation on the ground”.

“From the 2IC [Second In Command] that led the men to the ground, when they came, they gave several warning shots for them to disperse but they were adamant to move.

“This prompted them to fire shots into the crowd, wounding three of them who are currently receiving medical attention.

“So, the situation now, the vehicular movement is under control now, cars are moving freely on the road”, he said.

The DCE, however, noted that since this is a security issue, DISEC [District Security Council] will meet to discuss the way forward.

Referring to the arrest and detention of some members of the group, Mr Agama called on the secessionists to ceasefire to enable unity to prevail.

“For us in government, we want unity as a nation, we don’t want any part of the country to be taken off from Ghana.

“We need to understand that, as a nation, without unity, we cannot move.

“So, I’m appealing to the group to cease its activities and unite and move forward for better development of the region and the country as a whole”, he said.