Eight arrested for allegedly ransacking Mankessim police station

Eight persons have been arrested by the Central Regional Police Command in connection with the ransacking of the Mankessim Police station last Tuesday.

They were arrested at a Thursday dawn swoop at Ekumfi Ayisam in the Ekumfi District, bringing to nine, persons arrested for their alleged involvement in the disturbances.

The suspects are Iddrisu Ibrahim, driver, Kofi Boateng and Kwasi Sergoe all aged 35 years. The rest are Kojo Mprim, 46, Samuel Opoku, 37, Patrick Sagoe, 16, Kwasi Amoah, 42, Bernard Danso, 22, and Razack Kassim, 45.

DCOP Paul Manly Awini, the Central Regional Commander, disclosed this at a media briefing in Cape Coast on Thursday.

He said on Tuesday, October 2, at about 8:30pm, while the police were on snap check duty at Abor-junction on the Apam-Mankessim highway, the police spotted a taxicab with five occupants.

They signalled the driver to stop but he ignored and sped-off and repeated same at Akwakrom check point where the cab nearly knocked down a police officer.

The police became suspicious and gave the driver a hot chase leading to his arrest at Mankessim-Zongo but all the occupant of the cab had absconded when the driver was eventually arrested.

While interrogations were ongoing at the Mankessim police station, some angry youth numbering over 50 stormed the station wielding machetes, knives, stones and other offensive weapons and vandalized the Station.

Items destroyed included plastic chairs, wooden benches, stationary and a dressing mirror. The mob severally assaulted General Lance Corporal (G/L/Cpl) Emmanuel Adjei and G/L/Cpl Emmanuel Assan who were on duty.

Except for the driver, no one was arrested immediately but the police stormed the community on Thursday morning and cordoned off some areas leading to the arrest of the eight people.

DCOP Awini indicated that efforts had been intensified to bring all the perpetrators to justice.

He however assured that, policing and administrative duties was going on smoothly at the station and urged the public to support them to maintain law and order.