Controversy continues to rage over last Sunday’s demolition of a number of structures at Krobo Odumase in Kumasi despite denial of any involvement by the Metropolitan Assembly.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Kojo Bonsu, has not only publicly detached the assembly from the exercise but gone ahead to order a probe to get to the bottom of it.
Barely 24 hours after doing that a group of stoutly built men (machomen), backed by a team of armed police officers, had once again been in action, pulling down new structures erected by the traders with the MCE’s permission.
One Nana Osei Tutu alias “Kwame Obidiaba”, the man behind the demolition, claims to be enforcing an order of interlocutory injunction granted him by a Kumasi High Court.
The assembly, however, appears to have doubts about the genuineness of the claim hence the decision to set up a five-member committee to establish whether or not the court has indeed given an order authorizing the destruction of the structures.
The MCE however did not mention the names of members forming the committee.
Again, it is part of the committee’s mandate to determine if there was any such order, the extent to which it was legally executed and whether it was done in a manner consistent with laid down procedures of the law.
The committee is to further unmask those who directly or indirectly carried out the demolition, those affected and the damage caused.
It has one week to make its findings public.
Two members of the group that razed the structures to the ground for the second time, Tahiru Haruna and Kofi Yeboah, have been arrested.