Armed gang besiege Mkwantanang

Koforidua, April 30, GNA - An armed gang, wielding guns and other offensive weapons, has since Saturday been terrorising the people of Nkwantanang, near Kade in the Kwaebibrem District, according to reports received by the GNA.

The reports, confirmed by the Eastern Regional Police Command, said the gang, numbering about 20, is led by some local men backing the queenmother of Nkwantanang, Nana Abena Frimpomaa, against the chief of the town, Barima Adanse Akyem Omane.

The local men, according to reliable sources, point out supporters of the chief to members of the gang who then beat them up. Last Monday, for example, members of the gang beat up a taxi driver, Mr Oduro Boamah, without provocation till he fell unconscious at the lorry park.

Then on Tuesday, April 25, an agricultural officer, Mr. Frank Aboagye, who was riding his motorcycle out of the town, was allegedly brutalised after being identified as a member of the chief's faction.

Though some members of the gang were said to have been arrested and given police enquiry bail, they later allegedly erected unauthorised road blocks at the outskirts of the town, searching vehicles for supporters of the chief.

The activities of the gang have compelled many people to flee to nearby communities for safety since the few policemen in the town cannot arrest the situation.

Chief Inspector Jonathan Kwame Abban of the Police Public Relations Unit told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the police were taking adequate measures to protect life and property.

He, however, warned that if the situation did not normalise, the Regional Police Command would be compelled to deploy more men to bring it under control.