One person murdered in a land dispute

A 45-year-old man, Adotey Allotey Kpakpo, alias Aluta, died at the weekend during clashes between the people of Asofan and Ayawaso, near Ofankor, in a land dispute.

Two others, Asafoatse Noah Afum and Addy Torgbor, who were critically wounded, are receiving treatment at the Ridge and 37 hospitals respectively. The dispute over the boundaries between the two communities has been simmering for sometime now and attempts by the Ga District authorities to settle it has proved futile with factions in the two towns failing to come to an agreement.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited Ayawaso on Monday, it found that with the exception of an 80-year-old man, there was no male adult in the town, which has only women and a few children. They booed and cursed GNA reporters mistaking them for policemen who had earlier raided the town and apprehended all male adults for questioning.

Madam Elizabeth Amorkor Aryee, who volunteered information, told the GNA that two young men from the town on the way to their farm last Saturday met Asafoatse Afum of Asofan, who was seriously wounded and covered with blood. He asked for help and they responded by taking him to Ayawaso where they were advised by some elders to take him to the Pokuase police station.

Meanwhile at the Nima Divisional Police station, Mr Francis Aryeetey, linguist to Mii Abetia, chief of Asofan, had reported that that four of their men, including the Asafoatse were attacked with cutlasses and cudgels amidst gunshots by a group of land guards allegedly recruited by the faction from Ayawaso.

He said they stripped the Asafoatse naked and dragged him to the centre of the town where the women were made to hoot and humiliate him by pouring urine on him. Mr Aryeetey said when they realised that one of their people could not be accounted for, they mounted a search for him in the bush.

They later discovered the body of Allotey Kpakpo who had died from gunshot and cutlass wounds. Nima police say they have arrested the suspects for investigations.