Abudu, Andani clash: Heavy police presence needed

The Ashanti Regional Police Command has revealed that heavily armed police will be stationed at Alabar, a suburb of the regional capital, Kumasi, following reported clashes between members of the Abudu and Andani Royal gates on Thursday, 17 August, over a bus terminal.

“We will continue to be here until such time when we think from our perspective that there is absolute law and order here,” Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, ASP Juliana Obeng, said in an interview with Class FM.

Spillover tension between the two northern gates who are aligned with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), came to a head after the Andanis accused the Abudus of harassing them to hand over the bus terminal to them since their (Abudus) party was now in power.

The bus terminal was teeming with machete and club-wielding supporters of both sides who filed the air with war chants.

The police had to intervene to restore calm and avert a bloody clash. ASP Obeng explained that, “We got intelligence that there is going to be some kind of security unrest over here so we moved in with personnel including the divisional district commanders and crime officers and then some support from the regional headquarters to come and maintain law and order.”