Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has raised alarm over growing insecurity in the Ashanti Region, warning that the escalating violence linked to the Bawku conflict is leaving residents in fear for their lives.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, the MP expressed grave concern over a wave of violent incidents, including killings and mysterious disappearances, which he said have largely gone unreported by the media.
“Our people are living in fear, people are living with so much insecurity, and if the government fails to take proper action, it will escalate,” Mr. Assafuah cautioned.
He cited multiple disturbing occurrences as evidence of the deteriorating security situation.
“There are several scenarios that we have experienced in the Ashanti Region, many of them that the media was not even aware of, many of them Ghanaians didn’t get to know. Key amongst them is the death of a six-year-old girl, whose body was discovered in a parked vehicle at Suame Market, which is very close to my constituency — days after she went missing,” he recounted.
The MP also referenced a recent killing in Asawase, a neighbouring constituency to Old Tafo.
“Three days ago, someone just got unalived in Asawase, A Line Zongo in the Ashanti Region. Asawase, as I can say, is also almost a neighbouring constituency,” he said.
Mr Assafuah noted that fear is rising across the region, worsened by violent spillovers from the Bawku conflict, which he believes are beginning to manifest in Kumasi and surrounding areas.
“When I say that our people are living in fear, indeed our people are living in fear, especially because of the cost of sentiment that we gather around,” he stressed.
He also mentioned the tragic death of Peggy Ayelbassah, an aspiring nurse who was gunned down while travelling to Salaga for an admission interview at a nursing training college. “Peggy Ayelbassah was shot dead around Dinase, which is very close to the Kwabre North District, while she was travelling to Salaga. Anybody who knows the Ashanti Region will tell you that
Kwabre North is also very close to Old Tafo, very, very close to the centre of Kumasi,” he explained. Adding to the tension, Mr. Assafuah cited the recent killing of a Kusasi chief in
Asawase, suggesting it is linked to the Bawku ethnic conflict.
“Just some days ago, we heard that a Kusasi chief was killed in Asawase. We began to understand that these things are happening because of the Bawku conflict, which is now spilling over into the Ashanti Region, as many of their people also live here,” he said.
In response to the growing threat, the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has banned smock-wearing among motor riders and restricted motorcycle use after 7:00 p.m. in Asawase as part of emergency security measures to curb violence and restore calm.
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