Ownership of a goat triggers off violence

The ownership of a goat claimed by one Sirasu Osman and Mahamadu Aminu Iddrisu, the Deputy Chief Imam of the Asante-Mampong Zongo, resulted in a violent clash which left one person sustaining serious head injuries and the arrest of two persons. The injured was named as Farouk Musah, 25, an auto-mechanic in Kumasi who was on a visit to Mampong and is currently on admission at a private clinic at Mampong.

Those arrested were Abudu Fayiri Ali, 22 and Badwin Adams, 19, all Senior Secondary school graduates.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the incident at Mampong on Monday, the acting Mampong Divisional Police Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Arzah, said a dispute arose between one Osman and Iddrisu over the ownership of a goat.

He said the police were in the process of sending the case to court when the two parties came to plead for the withdrawal of the case on the grounds that the issue had been internally resolved and that the goat had been handed over to Osman.

According to ASP Arzah, at about 11 am the same day, four sons of the Deputy Chief Imam arrived at Mampong from Atebubu to join the family in celebrating the Eid-Ul-Adha festival.

He said when they heard that the animal had been handed over to Osman, they objected and rushed to his house and forcibly took the animal from him.

ASP Arzah said the boys action sparked off violence at the Zongo which drew police to the scene to restore order and arrested Ali and Adams, two of the four sons of the Deputy Chief Imam and placed them in police custody.

He said when the police conducted a search on them, they found a locally manufactured pistol on Adams and a number of talisman on him and his brother.

The acting Divisional Crime Officer said the police later picked the Deputy Chief Imam and his son, Abdulai Aminu for questioning but were released.

Meanwhile, he said, the police have intensified their day and night patrols at the Zongo and that the place was now calm.