Kasoa youth protest over driver's death

Page 55
July 3, 2008

Some youth at Kasoa in the Central Region yesterday demonstrated on the main Kasoa-Bawjiase road by burning lorry tyres to protest against the alleged killing of a KIA truck driver by a member of the military/forestry patrol team.
They burnt the tyres to express their anger at the action of a member of the patrol team.
The police had to go the scene to disperse the youth, whose action resulted in heavy traffic on the road.
When the Daily Graphic got to the scene about 1.00 p.m., one of the tyres was still burning in the middle of the road, as some bystanders, including lumber sellers, discussed the shooting of the driver.
Ramatu Alhassan told the Daily Graphic that she was in the KIA truck with the driver, Inusah, conveying lumber from Asamankese to Kasoa when they were stopped on the way by the patrol team about 5.45 a.m.
She said the patrol team then demanded that she and the two drivers conveying the lumber pay GH¢40 each before they would be allowed to go, else they would be arrested.
She explained that that being the normal practice, she complied and was allowed to go, adding that as soon as they got to the Old Timers area, another group of the patrol team which was operating on the Winneba-Kasoa road stopped them and said they had been arrested.
Madam Alhassan said when she told the members of the second group that she had “settled” their colleagues, they refused and said the occupants of the truck should accompany them.
“I told them to take the lead, while I took a taxi to follow them. When I got to Kasoa I was told that the driver of my vehicle had been shot in the legs by one of the soldiers,” she said, adding that “when I got to the 37 Military Hospital where the soldiers had conveyed the driver, the doctor told me that he was dead”.
She said it was when news got round that the driver was dead that the youth in the area decided to protest by burning tyres on the road.
An eyewitness, Mohammed Howard, said the driver was shot after two soldiers who were in the KIA truck had struggled with him when they reached the Kasoa High Tension area.
“When I saw that the driver had been shot and was lying in a pool of blood, I wanted to carry him in a vehicle to the hospital but the soldier threatened to shoot me if I got closer to him (driver),” he explained.
He said when a crowd started gathering, the soldiers started shooting to scare people away.
Madam Alhassan later showed the Daily Graphic team two live bullets and two empty shells.
The Kasoa District Police Commander, Superintendent Isaac Buabeng, confirmed to the Daily Graphic that the matter had been reported to the police.
The Kasoa District Crime Officer, Mr Maama Arhin, said the police had advised the people to allow the law to take its course, adding that they were investigating the matter.
The lumber sellers in the Kasoa High Tension area said the vehicle used by the soldiers was a green Toyota Hilux pick-up, with registration number GS 6970 Y.