A-Plus Warns Government Over New Winneba Clashes That Killed 3 People

• The Gomoa Central MP issued a stark warning to the government after deadly clashes at New Winneba left three people dead and 15 injured
• A-Plus said residents could give the government seven days to act before chiefs across Gomoa convene to take a collective position
• The MP revealed he had previously alerted Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak that land disputes in the area could turn violent

Gomoa Central Member of Parliament Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A-Plus, has threatened collective action against the government if it fails to respond adequately to deadly clashes at New Winneba in the Central Region.

The MP revealed he had previously alerted Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak that land disputes in the area could turn violent.

Speaking on Asempa FM's Ekosii Sen programme on Tuesday, 1 September, A-Plus outlined a potential ultimatum following violence that killed three people and injured approximately 15 others, among them a police officer.

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The injured were admitted to the Trauma and Specialist Hospital in Winneba.

The MP warned that residents of Gomoa could formally convene chiefs from across the area to take a unified stand if the state does not step in to restore security.

"If the law does not take it [up], we the people of Gomoa will come together, we will give them seven days, we will call every chief in Gomoa and declare the government an enemy of Gomoa. If they don't protect us, we will protect ourselves," he said.

Despite the strong language, A-Plus said he was prepared to allow the Ghana Police Service to lead investigations and called on residents to remain law-abiding in the interim. He acknowledged the right to self-defence under the law but was clear that the primary duty of protection belonged to the state.

Longstanding Tensions Behind the Violence

According to the Ghana Police Service, the violence broke out at approximately 10:40 a.m. when around 300 individuals, reportedly armed with guns, cutlasses, stones and sticks, descended on the New Winneba Township.

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A-Plus said the root cause was a protracted land dispute that authorities had failed to resolve, and alleged that organised gangs and landguards had been terrorising residents on their farms for some time.

"This issue has been long-standing. For peace to prevail, for the sake of harmony to exist between us, we must address or handle this issue as leaders, irrespective of how unhappy we are," he said.

He also disclosed that he had previously raised the alarm with Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak and the Chief Director of the Ministry of the Interior, urging them to intervene before tensions escalated further.

"I have told them everything. Last year or so, I told them this thing will happen. I told them that they have to take care of these things," he said.

The MP made clear that the loss of life had left him furious, adding: "We don't want this issue to escalate. Three lives have been lost already. I am very angry."

Source: YEN.com.gh