Krobo-PDS fallout: BECE candidate’s leg amputated; fails to write exam

The right leg of a candidate of the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) shot by Police during a protest by residents of Odumase-Krobo against Power Distribution Service’ (PDS) mass disconnection exercise has had her leg amputated by Surgeons at the St. Joseph Hospital.

The amputation started Wednesday morning by Orthopedic Surgeons after several diagnoses and treatment failed to heal the injured limp due to the gravity of injury.

Ruth Makathar, 18, student of Odumase Krobo Anglican JHS who was preparing to write the BECE which started June 10, 2019 but was unfortunately shot in both legs with a stray bullet after she was caught up in the Police clashes with the agitating power consumers while returning from market failed to take part in the examination.

Her right knee was penetrated by the bullet while the left leg suffered minor injury by another bullet she missed narrowly. she has since been paralyzed.

Ruth was first rushed to St. Martins De Porres Hospital with six others who sustained Various degrees of injuries but she was later referred to the St. Joseph Orthopedic Hospital.

Angry youth of Kpongunor organized a spontaneous protest to petition the Municipal Chief Executive for the Area, Kwaku Simon Tetteh, on their concerns on overbilling by PDS and its ongoing mass disconnection exercise.

The youth mounted roadblocks and pelted the PDS Staff with stones and sticks at Yohe, a community near Odumase Krobo when PDS staff went to the community to discontinue its mass disconnection exercise.

The irate youth smashed a PDS Nissan Pick Up with Registration Number GV 2318-1. It took the intervention of armed Police personnel to rescue the PDS staff.

PDS decided to switch off the transformer cutting off power supply to the entire area.

Shortly after the attack, the angry youth mobilized to embark on a protest to petition the MCE but the armed Police rushed to protect the Municipal Assembly Office by preventing the youth from entering the premises.

This led to clashes between the youth and the Police. Many warnings shots were fired to disperse the youth who also attacked the Police with stones and other implements.

A 24-year-old was shot dead in the process with Seven others sustaining injuries.

Thirty-five(35) persons were arrested during the riot.

Three people were injured after a similar chaos Monday at Manya Kpongunor over mass disconnection exercise by Power Distribution Services (PDS).

Reports indicated that the Police reinforcement team fired tear gas after they were attacked by the youth.

PDS was embarking on a mass disconnection exercise with armed Police personnel in Somanya, Odumase Krobo and its environs.

The exercise dubbed “Revenue Mobilization” according to Somanya District Manager of PDS Ing. Edward Ochire, had become necessary due to the failure by many residents to pay their electricity bills since 2017.

A situation he said had led to revenue shortfalls of the company.

Hundreds of houses were disconnected in the exercise which started May 13, 2019 from Kpong and Nuaso communities.

One person was put behind bars for attempting to resist disconnection of his house. Since the exercise began, many of the affected residents have been trooping to the offices of PDS to pay their accumulated bills ranging between GHC3,000 and GHC20,000

There has been a long standing feud between residents and workers of ECG now PDS. In 2017, angry residents in Somanya attacked PDS office for overbilling.

Police vehicles were torched and properties destroyed in the violent attacks. Many residents have since refused to pay electricity bills and have threatened to attack PDS staff who attempt disconnecting their homes.

Energy Minister Peter Amawu later visited the troubled community and promised to constitute a committee to investigate the incident which is yet to be done.