Calm restored to Taifa Timber Market following violent clashes - Police

Following early morning clashes on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at the Taifa Timber Market, the Ghana Police Service has restored calm to the market.

According to a report by 3news.com, it said that the police were able to restore calm after they mounted a search for persons behind the burning of tyres and blocking of roads at Ofankor.

The report added that the police said they immediately launched an investigation into the matter and have gone on to strengthen security at the place.

“Investigation so far indicates that the riot was in relation to a land litigation issue… Investigation continues to get the perpetrators arrested to face justice,” the police said.

The main Ofankor Road, which was blocked to traffic because of the incident, has also been opened to traffic flow, the report added.

Earlier, there were reports that there were violent clashes between the traders at the market, and some land guards allegedly sent into the place by the owner of the land.

The landlady, identified as Naa Sackey, is said to have tried to forcibly evict the traders who occupy the land, although there is an existing tenancy between them.

Speaking in a phone interview on UTV, one of the traders told a UTV presenter that there was once a litigation on the land but after the landowner won the case, she was in good terms with them until a few months ago.

He said that she, all of a sudden, started making immediate moves to evict them out of the place when they had no issue with her.

The trader added that without any notice on the morning of Wednesday, September 20, 2023, the landlady ordered some armed land guards to come to the land to move them out, leading to a violent clash that has led to the death of one person.

“The land on which we work used to be under litigation but the woman who owns it won it and together, we all had a good working relationship but a few months ago, after she took her rent from us, she has been making moves to evict us.

“There was a lot of confusion even though there are a lot of people with receipts that show that they have a business with the woman and so if she needs to evict them, it should not be immediate. So, she brought some land guards who shot guns and killed someone, leading to anger among the people,” he explained.

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