Kintampo violence: One dead, 10 arrested

One person is reported dead and 10 suspects have been arrested in relation to bloody clashes at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region on Tuesday, 16 April 2019.

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

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

Chief Inspector Oppong said police were dispatched to the area and the ringleaders comprising of six individuals 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 road blocks and reinforcements had to be deployed including military to the police station.

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

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 Chief Inspector Oppong observed that they were responding to treatment as of Wednesday.

The police said four others involved in the chaos were later arrested upon intelligence and will be arraigned together with the ring leaders on Thursday.

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