A violent confrontation broke out when a KMA taskforce, supported by city guards, moved to clear several illegal structures in kumasi obstructing local waterways. Residents claiming authorities gave them no prior notice to vacate, resisted the exercise. The resulting clash injured three vehicles and pieces of equipment.
Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi explained that the Assembly ordered the demolition to clear major drains and reduce flooding risks ahead of the peak rainy season.
“Our intention is to clear them and then desilt the place.” the Mayor said. “They vandalized some of our vehicles, including an excavator, and we lost one pick-up in the process. They also injured about three or four of our officers.”
“There’s no way I will sit down for illegality to prevail. We will repair the damaged equipment and put it back to work,” the Mayor added.
Mr. Boadi noted that the injured officers would receive medical treatment once the police complete the incident documentation.
However, affected residents insisted they acquired the land legitimately and received no eviction notices before the bulldozers arrived.
“We paid money before they gave us the land. Nobody was living here when we moved to this place. Only thieves occupied it. They gave us no prior notice to vacate,” one resident told journalists.
