Three officers of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) were injured after residents clashed with officials during a demolition exercise in Adum on Wednesday, highlighting tensions over efforts to clear illegal structures ahead of the rainy season.

The confrontation occurred behind the COCOBOD building near the Asafo Overpass, where a KMA taskforce, backed by city guards, moved to demolish structures the Assembly said had been illegally erected along waterways.

According to the Assembly, residents attacked officers, vandalized vehicles and damaged heavy equipment after resisting the operation. Officials said three officers were injured in the violence.

Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi said the demolition formed part of a broader campaign to remove encroachments obstructing drainage channels and allow for the desilting of major drains to reduce flooding risks during the peak rainy season.

“Our intention is to clear them and then desilt the place,” Mr. Boadi said. “Some of our vehicles have been vandalized. We have lost one pick-up in the process, an excavator was vandalized, and about three or four of our officers were injured.”

He said the Assembly would repair the damaged equipment and continue with the exercise, adding that the injured officers would receive medical treatment after police completed documentation of the incident.

Residents disputed the Assembly’s account, saying they had legally acquired the land and had not been given advance notice to vacate.
“We paid money before they gave us the land,” one resident told journalists. “Nobody was living here when we moved to this place. We were not given prior notice to vacate.”

Another resident questioned where those displaced by the demolition were expected to relocate, saying the operation had left families without shelter.

The incident underscores the challenges facing local authorities as they seek to enforce planning regulations and reduce flood risks while addressing disputes over land tenure and resettlement.

Source:TheDotNews