Four sustain gun-shot wounds as youth clash with police

Tontokrom (Ash), Sept. 14, GNA - Four people sustained gun shot wounds, one of them seriously when the youth of Tontokrom in the Amansie West district of Ashanti.

The police numbering about 20 and said to have been detailed from Obuasi to avert a possible confrontation between the youth of the town and the Mining Company, were alleged to have opened fire on the youth when some of them attempted to confront them as to their mission in the town.

Kwaku Boakye, one of the victims is said to be in a critical condition while Yaw Bio, Yaw Mensah and Kofi Gabriel were responding to treatment at the Saint Martin's Catholic hospital at Agroyesum where they were rushed to.

Dr Samuel Etuaful, Senior Medical Officer in-charge of the hospital told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that two pellets from an AK-47 riffle were removed from Boakye's legs, whilst three bullets suspected to have come from local manufactured guns were removed from the legs, waist and arms of the other victims.

The GNA learnt that Mr Ben Kwakye Adeefe, the District Chief Executive for Amansie West last Friday directed Nana Agyemang Badu, chief of Tontokrom to inform the youth that a delegation would meet them to find a solution to the impasse between them and the Mining Company that had created tension in the town.

The impasse, it was learn, stemmed from what the youth described as the mining company's failure to meet its social obligation to the community.

At the meeting, however, some of the youth threatened a showdown with the company when the chief told them that all galamsey activities should cease until the impasse had been resolved.

The GNA learnt that the meeting had hardly ended when some of the youth took to the street ostensibly to register their displeasure at the turn of events and that it was at this juncture that the police were called in and on their arrival in the town they were confronted by the youth resulting in the clash.

The Datano police near Tontokrom when contacted confirmed the clash and said investigations were being conducted into the matter.