The Member of Parliament for Odododiodio, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, believes there has been a failure of security and authorities culminating in the proliferation of military-grade arms in the Agbogbloshie area.
In a Citi News interview, Mr. Vanderpuye lamented the insecurity in the area, which he says puts the lives of vulnerable residents at risk.
“I have no doubt in my mind that if we should be able to give that place the needed attention security wise, we will be able to make the peace loving Ghanaians who struggle to make ends meet within the community live in peace and tranquility,” he said.
The MP’s concerns with arms in the area, follow the clash at the Agbogbloshie Yam Market on Tuesday, which has so far left two dead and eight injured.
The clashes, which were reportedly sparked by an alleged mobile phone theft case, centred around two ethnic factions, the Konkombas and Dagombas, with reports from the ground indicating that there were assault rifles wielded by some aggressors.
Mr. Vanderpuye compared the potential cache of arms in the area to what would be found in a war zone and was adamant that, security personnel had to assert themselves on the area to stem the tide of clashes and possible reprisal attacks.
“The security has to be firm; they have to do sporadic and random searches and raids to make sure they rid the area of undesirables and also try as much as possible to clear those unlicensed weapons that are being used indiscriminately in the area.”
“Some of the weapons that these young guys brandish, you have no idea where they got them from. Some of them are serious assault rifles. Some are weapons that you expect only the security agencies to have and you don’t know where they get these weapons from.”
Five arrested so far
Five persons have been arrested in connection with the clashes, and police disclosed that some locally manufactured weapons have been retrieved from some of the suspects.
The Accra Regional Police Command is investigating the matter, and the area has remained calm since the clashes.
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