A group of irritated youth on Monday attacked Police personnel at the Kwame-Danso Police Station in the Sene West District of Brong-Ahafo Region.
They mistreated some of the officers on duty, demanding the release of four of their colleagues who had been arrested for burning quantities of packed sacks loaded with charcoal belonging to some Sisala men.
Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, the Regional Police Public Relations Officer told the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday in Sunyani.
He said Police was conducting investigation into the case to arrest all the perpetrators for prosecution to serve as deterrent to others.
Chief Inspector Oppong narrated that on April 14, 2018 at about 0700 hours, the Kwame-Danso Police had report from some Sisala men that their bags of charcoal packed in their farms had been burned by the youth of Akyeremade and Mmerenko villages in the District without any provocation.
Chief Inspector Oppong said the Police had received first hand information from complainants that the youth took the law into their hands to act in that regard.
That was because, he explained they were annoyed with the ‘Odikro’ of Akyeremade for releasing portions of land to them to burn charcoal for a living whilst “they, being indigenes are unemployed but have not been offered any land to work on”.
Chief Inspector Oppong said Police proceeded to the scene and arrested four suspects alleged to have caused the damage and detained them at the Police Station.
He said consequently a group of youth numbering about 120 from the two villages rushed to the Police Station and demanded the release of their arrested colleagues.
In the process they assaulted the Officer at the Complaint Desk and threatened him to hand over the cell keys or otherwise there would be bloodshed, Chief Inspector Oppong said.
He said sensing danger, the Station Officer immediately called for reinforcement from the Police Strategic Weapon and Tactic (SWAT) Unit, but because of the huge number of the youth presence, the Police released the four suspects while investigations into the matter continued.
Chief inspector Oppong said the Police later had information that two Police Assistants who were natives of the two towns but working at the Kwame-Danso Police Station “were releasing Police approaches to the youth and that led to the attack”.
He said the two whose names were not readily available were arrested and remanded into Police custody at the Atebubu Police Station, adding one ring leader had also been arrested and all three were being processed for prosecution at the Court.
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