Police on rampage at Nankpanduri

Paul Tawiah Quaye, IGP (left), Mr. Martin Amidu, Minister of The Interior (right)

A team of military and police personnel, numbering about 100, drawn from Accra and the three northern regions, allegedly went on a rampage at Nankpanduri yesterday, beating and burning the houses of inhabitants of the area.

The security personnel, according to the Assembly Member of the area, Alhassan Moferi, went on a shooting spree.

According to him, some people had been hurt as a result of the indiscriminate firing of guns by the security men, whilst others had also fled the town for fear of their lives.

'Nakpanduri is now a ghost town,' said the Alhassan Moferi in an interview with The Chronicle.

About 19 houses, including a number of stores, are said to have been burnt as a result of the operations of the security men.

One Lafitie, a banker at the Bessfa Rural Bank, is said to be in critical condition, after sustaining various degrees of injuries, when the police fired at the building in which the bank was operating.

One Madam Yenu also sustained a head injury from a gun butt by one of the security personnel deployed the area to hunt for the notorious armed robber, Johnson Kombian.

Another man, Elija Sillim, had his house razed to the ground. Alhassan Moferi described the operations of the security personnel as highly unprofessional, since their actions have rather helped the notorious criminal to go deep into hiding.

About 20 people, including a teacher at the Assemblies of God Junior High School, one Bubik, have been arrested.

The joint security team was deployed to the area in search of the Johnson Kombian, who recently, fired gun shots at three police officers on patrol duty, killing two.

Attempts by The Chronicle to contact the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer proved unsuccessful, as he had switched off his mobile phone, after promising to speak to the paper on the matter.