Mayor of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Osei-Asibey Antwi
An anti-corruption campaigner, Mr Philip K. Duah, has written a formal complaint to the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) over allegations of extortion and harassment by KMA private contractors providing towing services.
Narrating his ordeal in a letter, Mr Duah said on Tuesday, 16 June 2020, about 12:15 pm, he drove to town to do some purchase around the Prempeh Assembly Hall area.
Mr Duah said he decided not to park on the side of the main road but on the street where the NCCE Regional Office is located.
Before closing his car door, he saw a man who was believed to be working for KMA, since he was in a t-shirt but he never uttered a word.
“I thought he has been mandated to take charge of the area and to collect some parking fees as usual. Looking at the area, there were no warning signs, no signs or symbols indicating that one cannot stop or park there. Two other private vehicles were also parked there,” he stated.
According to Mr Duah, he returned after 10 minutes to realise that his vehicle was not there.
He said when he approached the t-shirted KMA man, he mentioned that he (Mr Duah) will see the car if he is willing to pay GHS400.
Upon further interrogation, Mr Duah said the man demanded GHS200.
“Anxious to see my car”, Mr Duah said he paid the money, “and to my surprised, they brought it after he [the man in t-shirt] made a call, saying: ‘Charley, the guy paid something ooo; make you bring am’. They returned the car from the corner of the other side of the road and it was on a small tow vehicle with four men.”
Mr Duah said as they tried leaving the scene, he insisted on a receipt for the payment he made.
“Seeing how aggressive I was, they brought some receipt to me.”
Mr Duah stated that he secretly followed them and monitored their actions only to see them repeating the same act four times.
Mr Duah, in his letter to the KMA boss, is demanding the following:
1) I am of the view that the KMA private contractors wrongly took money from me, verbally assaulted me, delayed my time meant for other profitable assignment, and all for no reason or fault of mine and, so, I am making an official complaint to the mayor of Kumasi to visit the site of the incident and to further understand my plea and to compensate me for all the losses incurred.
2) I further request the KMA to bring the private tow contractor who, I believe, may be generating funds by taking advantage of innocent people or abusing his/her powers to generate funds to meet his/her financial needs, to order and to ensure they carry out their activities with sanity.
3) Again, I further request the KMA, as a way of preventing further occurrences, to ensure all areas or parts of the city where parking or stopping is actually prohibited, are well marked or indicated to caution drivers and to also reduce some of these incidences by providing public education.
