Political Violence: Angry Crowd besiege Police Station

Aflao, Dec 07, GNA - An angry crowd this afternoon besieged the Aflao Police Station when a number of NPP activists they chased, after accusing them of carrying electoral boxes to engage in electoral fraud at Denu, were whisked away by the police to the Aflao Police Station for protection. The crowd made up of the youth, women and men hooted and booed at the police, other security personnel and NPP activists, accusing them of siding with the wrong doers and demanded that they hand them over to them for instant justice.

When Mr Thomas Sechie, Ketu South Constituency Parliamentary Candidate emerged at the station with some other party men, the crowd went extra wild, booed at him with some throwing stones until he entered the station officer's office.

Mr. Baba Moro, Assistant Superintendent of Police in-charge of Crime at Aflao, told the GNA that the eight NPP activists who were going round polling centres to view the pattern of voting, arrived at a polling centre at the Denu about 1200 hours.

He said a group of people present accused them of having stuffed ballot boxes in the Nissan Urvan bus with registration No.GW 2679 S they were using to replace them with the official ones at the station. Mr Moro said the crowd, which multiplied instantly chased the eight men with stones, clubs and cutlasses moving towards the District Assembly Offices at Tokor and the police followed up closely to prevent any incidence.

He said the Police Highway Patrol Team was informed and it quickly moved in to rescue the NPP activists and sent them to the Aflao police station for protection and another crowd emerged there booing and insulting the police for taking sides.

Mr Moro said the police did not find any ballot boxes, nor weapons in the vehicle of the NPP activists as was being alleged by the crowd, adding that the activists would soon be released but the vehicle would be impounded until the end of voting.