Clashes leave three dead

THREE PERSONS including a police officer have been confirmed dead at Kwame Danso in the Sene District of the Brong Ahafo Region in a bloody clash involving the police and civilians.

Another person who sustained a gunshot wound was in critical condition at a local hospital.

The incident occurred on the morning of Wednesday January 4, near the local police station where some youth of the town were on a procession to present a petition to the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Dominic Napare, over a protracted chieftaincy dispute that had denied the town a substantive chief for about 16 years now.

Reports said the demonstration turned nasty when a police officer identified as Felix Dankwa from Sunyani attempted to prevent the youth from moving to the premises of the district assembly, claiming that the demonstration was illegal because the youth did not have police permit in line with the public order law.

Eyewitnesses told DAILY GUIDE that in the ensuing struggle with the protesters, Officer Felix gave a warning shot to apparently disperse the demonstrators, but he unfortunately directed it into the crowd, killing two persons on the spot and causing a fatal injury to another.

After realizing that two of their colleagues had been shot dead, the demonstrating youth turned their anger on the police officer and lynched him.

At the time of filing this report, there was heavy security presence in the town, with police personnel engaging in a house-to-house arrest of all young men found in the town.

Reports suggested that even journalists who were on the ground to report on the incident were allegedly caught up in the arbitrary mass arrest.

DAILY GUIDE learnt that close to 200 people had been arrested, whilst the youth who got wind of the mass arrest fled the town, making the district capital a ghost town.

In another report, Peter Owusu, a teacher, said about 16 years ago, the chief of the town, Nana Kwadwo Nyarkoh, died and a process commenced to install a new chief.

He said two persons, Dr. Nabbi Donkor and Akwasi Donkor, were the main contestants, but due to several court cases, the process was stalled.

He said the youth of the town had since been appealing to the kingmakers to install a chief, since according to them, Kwame Danso would not see any meaningful development without one.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Nana Yaw Owusu, the acting president of the Kwame Danso Traditional Council, said on Wednesday 4thJanuary 2012, he was sitting in his house when a group of young men stormed the place and demanded the installation of a chief.

He said he begged them to give him some time since the case was pending before court; but they refused and vandalized his house.

According to Nana Owusu, the youth, who looked highly charged, overturned a soup his wife was cooking, cut down plantain trees he had at his backyard and threatened to kill him. But fortunately for him, he was whisked away by some good Samaritans.

Not satisfied with what they did to the acting president, the youth moved to the house of one John Kumah, popularly called Mr. Tot, in an attempt to deal with him because according to them, he was the one disturbing the peace of the town.

When Mr. Tot heard that they were on their way to his house, he took to his heels and hid at the police station.

The youth moved to the police station and demanded the release of Mr. Tot.

An eyewitness, Richard Nsiah, told DAILY GUIDE that Lance Corporal Felix Danquah came forward to beg the demonstrating youth to leave the police station but they were adamant and the police man fired two warning shots.

The third shot, the eyewitness said, was aimed at the crowd, killing two demonstrators instantly.

Sensing danger, Lance Corporal Danquah took to his heels, but the youth chased him to a house where they dragged him out and stoned him to death.

As at the time of filing this report, several policemen had been deployed to the area from Sunyani and the neighbouring districts to quell the demonstration.

Meanwhile, an eyewitness who identified himself as Cudjoe, has told a section of the media that the failure of the kingmakers to appoint or select a substantive chief for the traditional area since the former Paramount Chief died in 1996 has stalled development in the area.