Fear grips residents of Esaase-Bontefufuo

Esaase-Bontefufuo (Ash), July 13, GNA - Fear and insecurity gripped residents of Esaase-Bontefufuo in the Amansie West District in the early hours of Wednesday when heavily armed police personnel from the Striking Force in Kumasi stormed the town and arrested some youth for allegedly obstructing communal labour.

The small mining community is now virtually deserted by the youth, most of whom have sought refuge in the bush and the surrounding areas. The police said to be acting on the instructions of Nana Serwaa Akenten, Queenmother, Nana Agyemang Badu Prempeh, Adotenhene, Nana Kwame Acheampong, Regent and some elders of the town continue to search for 13 suspects most of them members of the Unit Committee and Mr. Kwame Acheampong, Assembly Member.

Osei Kwame and Kwabena Fokuo, both Unit Committee members and Kwasi Agyemang are in cells at the Kumasi Central Police station. According to the Assembly Member and Mr. Kwabena Asante Kobea, Unit Committee Member, the youth called on the town's financial committee led by Mr. Kofi Adjei to render accounts on the sale of the community pipe-borne water for the past two years, fines from communal labour defaulters, stray animals and donations from funerals at a meeting.

They said the demand did not go down well with Mr. Adjei and the financial committee who informed the Adontenhene and the Queenmother resident in Kumasi who allegedly sent in the police to arrest the youth. Mr. Acheampong said the Queenmother and some elders had earlier petitioned the Amansie West District Chief Executive demanding his withdrawal from the District Assembly.

He appealed to the DCE, Ashanti Regional Minister and the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development to probe the financial management of the town.

Nana Prempeh, the Adontenhene and Nana Amoako Atta, an elder of the town when contacted confirmed the arrests and said the youth were harassing the elders following the arrest of three of them. He alleged that 16 identified suspects restrained the youth from undertaking communal labour on a clinic initiated by the local Catholic Church leading to the assault of Agyemang and Kwabena Kusi.

Mr. Kwame Afriyie alias Kofi Manhunusa, an elder of the town, however, refuted the allegation and attributed the arrests of the youth to their demand for probity and accountability of the town's financial management.

The Kumasi Police have confirmed the arrests and said investigations were being conducted into the case.