Police swoop on Madina squatters, arrest more than 100 following attack on officers

Accra Region police on Wednesday arrested 109 persons including 13 females, who were suspected to have attacked officers deployed to the Ritz Junction area in Madina, to enforce a court order.

At least eight of them have been identified as having played a role in the attack and resisting the officers from performing their lawful duty.

The officers, who were from the Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), were assaulted both physically and verbally by the mob, most of whom were said to be squatters.

An officer said to be the leader of the team of officers, was shoved by the mob and pushed to the ground, compelling other officers to fire shots to ward them off. They also dared the officers to attempt to shoot any of them, as captured on a video shot from the mobile device of a bystander.

The officers subsequently retreated and returned on the following day heavily armed, to arrest the suspects.

Speaking Thursday, September 10, 2020, on the ‘An?pa B?fo?’ morning show on Angel 102.9 FM, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Region Police Command, DSP Afia Tenge, commended police personnel for not responding to the provocation.

“With the manner in which they [police officers] restrained from preventing any casualties, I want to commend them for depicting such a good attitude during the operationalisation of their lawfully discharged duty,” she told host, Captain Smart.

She said they [police] did a good job despite the extreme provocation of these squatters because “these men are even more than SWAT. They are skilled and well trained in terms of police operations.”

DSP Afia Tenge described the incident as “disgracing and very disheartening, to see people attack security personnel, especially police officials who protect and represent as the symbol and authority of the state.”

She disclosed that over 1,000 suspected criminals have been arrested from their hideouts across the capital city, in a special. She added that some of these include robbers, rapists and some persons who have been on their wanted list.

More of such operations will be carried out in the coming week, she announced.