One injured as drivers clash with soldiers at Mankessim

Some drivers at Mankessim in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central region on Tuesday were subjected to severe beatings by some military men when they staged a demonstration and blocked roads in the area.

The drivers were demonstrating against what they call harassment by city authorities who are trying to decongest the area.

The drivers were doing this in collaboration with the market women who find the work of the assembly guards and the police an affront to their work.

The assembly as part of the decongestion exercise wants to get rid of the big truck and diesel tanker drivers who tend to block the road especially at night.

The military men, according to the Municipal Chief Executive Kelly Essumam, who were driving from Takoradi to Accra were not happy with the drivers blocking the road and got out of the car to clear the road.

Some of the drivers resisted resulting in clashes which left one person severely injured with several cars having their windscreens damaged.

He added that the demonstration was politically motivated as it was one NDC member who incited the drivers and market women to demonstrate.