Hooligans Draw Blood

The blind support of the Jaman South Constituency branch of the ruling NDC in the Brong Ahafo Region for Government revealed itself in a drama of bloodletting, culminating in the collapse of a Metro TV reporter covering an anti-Government demonstration last Tuesday.

The NDC hooligans, according to eyewitnesses, surged onto the streets where the members of the Concerned Citizens of Jaman were demonstrating against Government for hounding former Director of Manpower and Personnel Administration of the Ghana Armed Forces, Col. Kwadwo Damoah, into a self-imposed exile.

The violent NDC attack on the Jaman South citizens occurred along a road linking the twin towns of Kwasibuokrom and Japekrom, in spite of the fact that the demonstrators had secured a Police permit to hit the streets.

The Statesman's sources at Metro TV and the Police say upon reaching the Papaasu River, a group of armed young men fired several rounds of warning shots at the demonstrators, amid hooting and stone-throwing.

Norbert Kwaku Agyemang, a cub reporter with the Brong Ahafo regional office of metro TV and also a native son of Kwasibuokrom was reportedly hit with stones and other dangerous weapons.

The Metro TV reporter and some of the demonstrators who were severely attacked by the thugs have since reported the incident to the Japekrom police.

As at the time of going to the press no arrests had been effected, according to our sources. The victims, whose conditions were said to be critical and were on admission at the Drobo Saint Mary"s Hospital, numbered over a dozen.

Clad in red clothes and waving the Ghana flag, the demonstrators, who were led by Joe Koranteng (a.k.a Champion), paraded through the Drobo-Kwasibuokrom-Japekrom triangular towns, amidst brass band music.

Some of the placards read: 'Stop Intimidating Col. Damoah,' 'Jamans Again?" See Ooo!' 'Brongs, See oo!' 'Akans, Rawlings Must Leave Col. Damoah alone!' Others read 'Col. Damoah Has Committed No Sin and 'the Military not for Ewes alone.'

An 8-point petition which contained a list of grievances by the Concerned Citizens of Jaman was received by the Jaman South District Coordinating Director, Mohammed Saanih after it had been read publicly by a leading member of the group, Apau Adinkrah, at the premises of the Jaman South District Assembly last Tuesday.