Effiduase assembly vandalized… By suspected Zongo youth
AN ANGRY mob, numbering over 100, last Thursday morning besieged the premises of the Sekyere East District Assembly and destroyed office equipments, Louvre blades, office doors and vehicles over alleged misunderstanding of relocation of the Effiduase Zongo Cemetery.
The youth, mostly Muslims from the Zongo community, were wielding dangerous weapons such as guns, cutlasses, pinch bars, pick axes and gallons with petrol, and chanting war songs like: “DCE, Kwadwo Adae will die today”, “We will set him ablaze” and “We will behead him today”.
The irate youth broke into the offices and vandalized everything they could lay hands on. These included TV sets, Computers, Printers, Photo copier machines, Lab tops, DVDs, Fax machines, Telephone sets, standing fans, ceiling fans, among many others.
Mobile phones and undisclosed amount of monies belonging to some staff of the assembly were all stolen, while motor bikes and bicycles parked at the premises were all destroyed.
The destroyed items, including broken Louvre blades were found scattered all over the places. The cost of the items destroyed is yet to be determined.
The District Coordinating Director's official pick-up vehicle and another pick-up vehicle belonging to the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) were both smashed with stones.
A labourer with the Assembly, who was busily weeding at the premises when the incident occured received multiple cuts all over his back, with a deep cut on his left hand. He was hit several times with the cutlass he was using at the time of the incident.
The departments which suffered most from the attack were the Information Services, National Commission for Civic Education, Social Welfare, Town and Country planning and the Co-operatives. Also affected were the deputy Co-ordinating Director's Office, the DCE's Secretary's office, the Assembly's General Office and the Conference room.
The cause of the unfortunate incident was due to the fact that the Zongo Community had refused to bury their dead bodies at a new site allocated to them by the Effiduase Traditional Council.
A district Security Council meeting was thus conveyed to thrash out all misunderstandings last Tuesday, when it was prevailed upon the leadership of the Effiduase Zongo Community to accept to bury their dead bodies at the location, since the old site was located close to a primary school.
According to the source at the said meeting, the opinion leaders from the Zongo community, who included Alhaji Adamu Issah, the NDC constituency chairman and Chairman of the Local GPRTU at Effiduase and other two Zongo Chiefs, refused to accept the new site allocated to them.
At the said meeting they were told that since a court had ruled against burying dead bodies at the old cemetery, it was contempt of court to continue to bury dead bodies at the old cemetery
The source, therefore, blamed the incident on the three leaders who were alleged to have misinformed the youth about what transpired at the meeting. Staff of the assembly had to flee the premises for their dear lives.
Meanwhile, The Chronicle has gathered that the Information Services Department lost a 24” colour Samsung TV, a Samsung DVD player, a ceiling Fan, a radio set and one Mobile phone (Nokia) during the rioting by the youth, who could not break into metal door of other offices where some equipment were kept.
Citizens of Effiduase have called on the authorities to arrest all those involved in this dastardly act to serve as a deterrent to others.