Tamale riots escalate -Graphic

THERE were renewed clashes in Tamale yesterday between a group of butchers suspected to be sympathisers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters in the municipality, leaving one person dead.

The police gave the name of the dead as Gazele, 23. His charred body has been deposited at the Tamale Regional Hospital mortuary.

Gazele was killed and his body burnt at a house near the Central Market area when he attempted to run away from his assailants who wielded machetes and other deadly weapons.

A number of people who sustained various degrees of injuries have been admitted at the Tamale Regional Hospital.

Many houses and properties were also destroyed while others were set ablaze in the various suburbs of the municipality.

A double cabin pick-up belonging to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a motorbike were burnt around the central market and at Aboabo.

Personnel of the Fire Service had to work tirelessly to put off the fire to save some of the houses and properties from complete destruction.

The central business area of the municipality was deserted as stores, shops and offices were closed. It took some hours before the situation could be brought under control by a joint military and police team. They had to fire series of warning shots and tear gas into the air to disperse the irate factions.

More than 20 people have so far been arrested. The fighting began between 9 a.m and 10 a.m when butchers went on the rampage in town to retaliate the destruction of their stalls at the central market by some alleged supporters of the NPP.

But for the timely intervention of the security forces, a lot of lives and property would have been lost. They fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse the combatants.

The different irate groups then attacked various suburbs of the municipality where they targeted some individual houses and set them on fire. At a point, they engaged in open confrontation. It again took the security forces some time to bring the situation under control.

The clashes were as a result of mounting tension that had existed between the NPP and NDC in the municipality following the murder of the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, at Yendi a year ago.

Both the leadership of the NDC and NPP in the area have, however, accused each other of perpetrating the violence. Meanwhile, the security forces have intensified their patrols to prevent further destruction of life and property in the municipality.

According to the Tamale Municipal Police Commander, DSP A.A Adjei, everything possible is being done to prevent the already bad situation escalating.