Police Arrest Squatters At Korle-Bu

Administration block of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

Administration block of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Thirty-two squatters on the premises of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospitalhave been arrested in a joint operation by the police and security men of the hospital as part of efforts to ensure safety and security at the hospital.

The operation followed recent attacks on workers at the hospital and the mysterious death of 27-year-old medical officer, Dr Desmond Kabah.

Dr Kabah was found dead in his room, on the third floor of Block N which accommodates house officersat the hospital, about 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 27, 2012.

The doctor’s death has created fear among the other house officers at the hospital who have threatened to go on strike.

In response to the security concerns raised by the doctors, the police met with the hospital authorities to plan and implement security measures to improve security and safety in the area.

The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Greater Accra Regional Police, Sergeant Kwabena Danso, told graphic.com.gh that although those arrested were farmers on the hospital’s land, they were perceived to be a threat to the security of the facility.

He said when the squatters were arrested and questioned, they claimed they were farmers at the hospital, but “the hospital’s management said it did not know them”.

The men, he said, had no authority from the management to work on the hospital’s land and would, therefore, be charged for being on the hospital’s land for unlawful purpose.

“They will be questioned and arraigned,” he added.

Some of those arrested said they had been working on the farmlands as cabbage growers and had even formed an association known and called the Korle-Bu Vegetable Growers Association.

The Secretary of the association, Mr Moro Mumuni, said they had been working on the land for a long time, adding, “Our fathers were labourers and workers at the hospital and that is how come we also farm there.”

He stated that he was shocked when the police came to arrest them because during the rainy season, some of the members of the association were invited by the hospital authorities to work as garden boys and casual labourers.

“Anytime they need our assistance, they take some of our boys and so I think they are aware we are there,” he said worriedly.

Meanwhile, house officers at the hospital have embarked on a sit-down strike because the authorities have not met their request for additional security measures within 24 hours.

graphic.com.gh