NPP, NDC Clash

THE ASHANTI Regional Police command has sent more armed police personnel to Adansi Akrofuom to maintain peace and order and guard the biometric registration exercise in the area after a clash between the supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP). The incident, which happened around 8:30pm on Monday, left one person with cutlass wounds. Some residents also fled the community. DSP Mathew Asante, Obuasi Municipal Police Commander, told DAILY GUIDE that a night patrol team would also reinforce vigilance in the Akrofuom community where the political activists clashed to avert any upheavals. According to him, the incident was as a result of suspicion and rumour that the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Appiah Pinkra, had brought macho-men to the community to visit mayhem on NDC supporters. DSP Asante said the rumour triggered a spontaneous reaction when Mohammed Mustapha Gariba, an activist of the ruling party, allegedly spotted two sympathizers of the NPP with the said macho-men at a section of the community. Mr. Asante disclosed that Gariba, who worked as a galamsey operator, claimed he received information from his friend the MP had contracted macho-men to kill him and therefore reacted when he allegedly saw them pointing at him. The police commander said at least one gunshot was fired in the process and this attracted scores of people including some youth of the NDC who chased and arrested one Abubakar Mohammed said to be one of macho-men. �Abubakar Mohammed from Sawaba in Kumasi is currently in police custody assisting investigation as we wait for official complaints from the NPP,� he said. He said a green-coloured Mitsubishi pick-up with registration number GT 2161 X, belonging to the MP and a motorbike being ridden by one Oware and Lampard, activists of the NPP, were vandalized in the process. DSP Asante added that a taxi driver, who had taken passengers to the community, was attacked and wounded after he was mistakenly identified by the angry youth as the transporter of the macho-men. He said calm and normalcy had since returned to the area.