General News of Wednesday, 4 April 2018
Source: ghananewsagency.org
2018-04-04
File photo
Hundreds of young people, mainly ‘warriors’ of Sokode-Gbogame Tuesday night attacked the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church Convent and destroyed properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis.
The ‘warriors’ wielding clubs, cutlasses and other offensive weapons including locally manufactured guns, broke down the fence wall of the Convent, damaged the security post, the main gate of the Nunnery and set fire around the compound.
The attack followed the closure of a ‘private’ road passing through the Convent to avoid encroachment and protect pupils of Mater Ecclesiae, which shares the same compound with the Convent, from road crashes.
The timely arrival of the police averted a bloody clash, but police warning shots and intervention resulted in the injury of three people from the community.
Sister Georgina Irene Akoto, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mother of the Church, Ho Diocese, in charge of the Convent, said the area had become unsafe with tipper trucks using the road and others using the compound as a place for smoking at night, necessitating closure of the road.
“This is a private road. It passes through the middle of our residence. We feel unprotected. We are women. People come here to steal and our pupils too are struggling with tipper trucks to use the road, so we are only fighting for our security,” she stated.
She said after discussing the issue with the Ho Municipal Assembly, they were advised to create an alternative route for farmers and community members who use the road passing through the Convent.
Sister Akoto said however, after creating the alternative road and closing the ‘private’ one, the youth rushed to the Convent to attack them.
Mr Ken Amudzi, Assemblyman for Sokode, said the youth claimed the alternative road was “slippery” and did not understand why the ‘private’ road should be closed.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered that the Police were arranging a meeting between the community and the Convent for an amicable resolution of the issue.
Meanwhile, there is uneasiness at the Convent following threats of more attack by youth in the community, compelling the sisters to remain indoors as at 0945 hours when the GNA visited.