Butchers clash in Tamale - three persons sustain gunshots

Tamale, Sept. 17, GNA - Three persons on Thursday sustained gunshots wounds following occupational misunderstanding among butchers in Sasaka, Tamale Central Market and those at Aboabo in the Tamale Metropolis.

One other person who was alleged to have shot at somebody and was severely beaten by a mob is on unstable condition at the Tamale Teaching hospital.

His name is not known because of his condition. Mr Geaorge Opong Asante, Northern Regional Police commander gave the names of the three injured persons as Alhassan Abdul-Kahad, who was shot at the chin, Alhassan Mohammed Hafiz had two shots at the chest and the left side of his forehead while Mohammed Abdul Abdallah was shot at the shoulder and are also at the hospital receiving treatment.

Mr Asante, who briefed the GNA on the incident said the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly had built an abattoire for the butchers, which called for a bidder to manage the place.

He said one man whose name he could not immediately mention won the bid and some section of the butchers were against the man managing the abattoire.

He said a letter written by the youth and some chiefs advised the Assembly to stop handing over the abattoire to that man because some of them could not work with him.

The commander said the Assembly on Wednesday September 16, held a meeting with the butchers and suspended the inauguration, which was to come off on Thursday September 16, but the message did not get to the rank and file of the butchers.

Mr Asante said some butchers were conveying their meat to the Aboabo meat shop on Thursday morning and were prevented by a group of butchers and this resulted into confusion, which subsequently resulted in the shooting incidence at Sasaka and the Tamale Central Market.

He said the Regional Security Council (RESEC) deployed a combined police and military team to calm the situation while investigations into the incident were on-going.

No arrests had been made.

Mr Ernest Debrah, Northern Regional Minister in an interview with the GNA corroborated the regional police commander and said no one was dead in the incident.

He said the incident was purely a case concerning only butchers and gave the assurance that RESEC was doing everything possible to bring the situation under control.