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.
Source: Citi News
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Nii Lante started all this mad--ness in 2008 when he used the boys at Sodom and Gomohra for his political campaign. After NDC's win in the December 2008 elections, he encouraged them to kill 5 NPP supporters in front of Agbobloshie police station while the police looked on unconcerned. Nii Lante again used these boys to beat up Ursular Owusu during registration of voters in 2012. Now you know that it's bad for them to be armed. You armed them since 2009 and now the fire will soon eat you up.
I have a problem with our leaders. Now we all have to know that, some people need help than others in society. People in this particular areas had problems since time immoral and the previous government pretended as if there is nothing going on there. Now they can blame the new government because they are not in power. ***barred word*** people. NDC during your term of office, what did you do?
You started all this F0OOLISHNESS. Now you have gotten human brains all of a sudden now that your power has expired. You maltreated everyone of opposition including assaults on women. You gave them the guns but the shift in power means now we can behave as humans. God will never forgive you for any blood shed on that land. Power is what you are after so people must die. 1diot.
Oh, are you now realizing that? I was going to say, "oluwaaaaaa", but I won't.
You are now saying this? Really? You just realized that they brandish weapons? What did you do when you were in power?
It is surprising that it is now that the MP has realized what he is harboring in his community. Was he not using these thugs to harass his political opponents? Now that he is not resourced to care for them he is calling for the others to come and clear them. The 'known and named' vigilante groups can be better dealt with than the 'unknown and unnamed' vigilante groups