Kintampo clash kills one, 10 arrested

One person is confirmed dead and 10 suspects have been arrested in relation to the bloody clashes at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Narrating the incident to Class91.3FM on Wednesday, 17 April 2019, Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, the PRO of the Brong Ahafo regional police command said the police received reports that two groups, Dega Land Association and the Mole Youth Association, had teamed up and attacked some workers at the Kintampo Waterfalls.

The groups claimed the land belonged to them, hence the government officials working there should vacate the facility.

Chief Inspector Oppong said police officers were deployed to the area and six ringleaders were arrested and taken to the police station.

The youth groups later massed up at the police station in protest against the arrests and demanded the release of the suspects.

The police said the irate youth mounted roadblocks to disrupt traffic flow, compelling the deployment of a reinforcement team, including military personnel to the police station.

They indicated that in an attempt to remove the wooden logs used as roadblocks, one military personnel was stabbed in the hand by one of the protesters. As the police and other soldiers at the scene tried to calm the situation down, one other protester tried to snatch a rifle from one of the police officers.

The trigger went off in the process killing one person in the crowd instantly.

Two others who sustained injuries were also sent to the Holy Family Hospital in Techiman and are responding to treatment as of Wednesday.

The police said four others involved in the chaos were later arrested upon a tipoff and will be arraigned together with the ringleaders on Thursday.

Chief Inspector Oppong further dispelled reports that the police fired shots indiscriminately.