[ 2017-03-21 ]

David Asante Apeatu,Inspector General of Police

Ejura residents demand action from police to stop armed robbery incidents
Residents of Ejura in the Ashanti Region are
demanding immediate action from police to stop
armed robbery incidents in the area.

According to the Concerned Youth of Ejura, recent
armed robbery cases there, some of which have led
to the shooting of policemen have left residents
in fear. The group says the residents have
additionally lost confidence in the police.

“We find the situation so strange and outrageous
and therefore wish to state our disappointment in
the Ghana Police in Ejura/Sekyedumase Municipal
for their inability to arrest the situation,”
Convener of the group King Saddique said in a
press release.

They are worried that government workers like
doctors, nurses, teachers and others posted to
serve have threatened to leave.

"So, just imagine a community without these
essential service providers. Who is going to teach
our children if these teachers leave? How would
the health care system in the municipality be
should Doctors and Nurses leave?" the worried
residents quizzed.

They are therefore calling on the President as
well as others leaders in the area to deal with
the issue.

Below is the full statement from the group

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE CONCERNED YOUTH OF EJURA ON
THE SECURITY SITUATION IN EJURA/SEKYEDUMASE
MUNICIPAL.

On behalf of the entire people of
Ejura/Sekyedumase Municipality, we the CONCERNED
YOUTH OF EJURA have observed the increasing
occurrence of armed robbery within the
municipality on some key roads, namely; Mampong
-Ejura, Aframso-Sekyedumase, Ejura-Nkoranza,
Ejura-Kyekyekura and Ejura-Atebubu/Amantin road.

On Friday, January 22, 2016, a gang of armed
robbers attacked and robbed travelers on the
Atebubu-Ejura highway precisely at a town called
Hianwawu. They shot and killed a policeman,
General Corporal Alexander Cheremeh during the
robbery. The robbers carrying guns and other
deadly weapons blocked the highway and succeeded
in robbing travelers on two (2) commercial
mini_buses of their cash and other valuables.

The deceased policeman who was in uniform was
travelling from Yeji to Kumasi. And again, on
Thursday, January, 28 2016, at around 8.30 am, a
207 Benz bus carrying market men and women to the
market was also attacked and robbed .The driver of
the said 207 bus popularly known as (ASSIF) was
shot dead.

Moreover, on Monday, 23rd May 2016, a similar
armed robbery incident occurred on the
Ejura-Nkoranza road where the driver of the 304
Benz bus who was popularly known (Cocoa-wura) was
shot by these notorious armed robbers. The driver
(cocoa-wura) died at spot and passengers on board
were also robbed of their cash and other
valuables.

Just last week on Monday 27th February, another
armed robbery incident occurred where a taxi and
Benz 207 vehicle were stopped, attacked and
robbed.

A police officer by name Inspector Ofori Asiedu
was shot in the chest and is currently in a
critical condition and receiving treatment at the
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi
but, the driver of the 207 vehicle popularly known
as (kwadwo-mate) who was shot, died on the spot
and several other passengers sustained injuries.

We find the situation so strange and outrageous
and therefore wish to state our disappointment in
the Ghana Police in Ejura/Sekyedumase Municipal
for their inability to arrest the situation. We
know per the Ghana Police Act 1970 (Act 350), the
police is supposed to

To Protect life and Property

To Prevent and Detect Crime

To Apprehend and Prosecute offenders

But, the begging question is: what are the Ghana
Police in EJURA under Superintendent Anthony
Appiah been doing to save us from the hands of
these criminals? So if the police who are supposed
to protect our lives are sleeping on their jobs,
what should we the ordinary citizens ­ do?

Even though we are aware of police personnel and
logistics in combating crime not being enough in
the municipality, but we are also reliably
informed and are also aware of the continuous
support the Police service receives from the
citizens, Banks, owners of fuel station
continuously support the service, the Municipal
Assembly and most especially the Ejura Traditional
Council which has been very supportive in
servicing vehicles that belong to the police
service and has recently donated a bullion vehicle
for the police to enhance their work. So, what has
gone wrong, that armed robbery still goes on
within the following major roads:
Ejura-Sekyedumase, Ejura -Nkoranza,
Ejura-Atebubu/Amantin highway?

The influx of criminals within the Municipality is
alarming and the police in Ejura are well aware of
areas in our municipality where hard drugs such as
cocaine are sold in the municipality. But, yet,
not a single swoop has been made by the police.

Some of these criminals live within our community
but we do not understand why the police are not
arresting and prosecuting them appropriately? We
ask again: What strategy has the Ejura Police put
in place to curb this situation? The seeming
silence of the police in Ejura/Sekyedumase has
resulted in the citizenry not having confidence in
them any longer. Our lives are always in danger.
We live in constant fear and panic.

Residents now have to go to bed as early as 7:00
pm. And now, nobody wants to use Ejura as a
transit point after 7:00 pm to travel to towns
including Nkoranza and Yeji because of the rate at
which armed robbers terrorise passengers. In some
cases, suspects arrested by community volunteers
are released by the police without any due
diligence.

The negative effects of this insecurity in the
municipality are as follows: Government workers
posted here to serve, for example, Doctors,
Nurses, Teachers and others have threatened to
leave. So, just imagine a community without these
essential service providers. Who is going to teach
our children if these teachers leave? How would
the health care system in the municipality be
should Doctors and Nurses leave? How about those
working at the municipal assembly, should they
leave just as a result of these armed robbers?

Our local economy has also been largely affected
since market men and women who come to trade at
the EJURA and SEKYEDUMASE market have also found
alternative market areas such as Techiman, just
because of the armed robbery cases that keep on
occurring. The effect this insecurity has brought
unto the local economy is very unpleasant.

We are therefore calling on the President of our
Country, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Interior
Minister, Inspector General of Police, Ashanti
Regional Police Commander, Ashanti Regional
Minister, Member of Parliament for
Ejura/Sekyedumase, acting Municipal Chief
Executive and Nananom from the EJURA and
SEKYEDUMASE traditional council to as a matter of
urgency come together and find lasting solution to
the armed robbery menace that is gradually
crippling the development of EJURA/SEKYEDUMASE
MUNICIPAL.

We are also calling on the citizenry to be
vigilante and report cases of armed robbery as
when they get any information for prompt action to
be taken We would, therefore, like to suggest the
following:

There should be a major shakeup in the Ejura
Police Service. Police officers that have served
here for over five (5) years should be transferred
A divisional status should be given to
Ejura/Sekeydumase Municipal Police reinforcement
should be intensified on our roads

More Police post should be built along the roads

To Nananom, MP, Zongo Chiefs, Pastors, Imams, and
the Assembly Authorities, Community watchdog
committees popularly known as Volunteers should be
reactivated and fully support them to help combat
crimes in the municipality.

More vehicles and other logistics should be
brought to help Patrol activities The National
Highway patrol team and that from the police
headquarters in Kumasi should be made to rotate on
the major roads these armed robbery cases usually
occur.

More police personnel should be deployed from the
regional command in Kumasi to beef up security in
Ejura/Sekyedumase

Politicians, Chiefs, Opinion leaders should not
interfere in the work of the Police going forward.
They must allow the police to work professionally
Drones should be brought to enhance monitoring
activities of these criminals in the bushes

A military Camp should be built in the
municipality to clamp down on these notorious
armed robbers.

These and much more we believe if worked on would
bring a lasting solution to the armed robbery
menace.

If in some few weeks time, we do not see any
action been taken to arrest this problem, nobody
should blame us if something untoward happens.
Thank you.

GOD BLESS US ALL, BLESS EJURA/SEKYEDUMASE
MUNICIPAL AND BLESS OUR HOMELAND GHANA!!!

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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