Accra (Greater Accra) 22 Jan. '98

The chief and elders of Nleshie Amanfro, near Kasoa, have appealed to the IGP and the Minister of defence to help avert a clash with an armed group terrorising the people to avoid bloodshed and loss of property. Speaking to the GRI in Accra on behalf of the chief , Nii Kwashie Gborbilo, the Osiahene of the town, Nii Amartei Armah alleged that the group of armed men from Nima led by one private Omar Ali, a soldier from the 64 regiment at Asutsare, has been terrorising private land developers in the town for some time now. He said the situation became more alarming last Sunday when Ali and his group attacked some youth of the town who had been sent by the chief to work on a piece of and. According to Nii Armah, the group inflicted a cutlass wound on the hand of one of one of the youth of the town and injured others on the head with broken bottles. He said the youth came back to the palace to report the conduct of Ali and his men to the chief but unfortunately they did not meet him so they dispersed. Nii Armah alleged that Ali and his group chased the youth to the palace but withdrew amidst threats and insults. Today, too, a woman sent some workers to work on her land and suddenly they came again and attacked them, inflicting cutlass wounds on them. The Osiahene said the soldier and his group later went on the rampage, destroying properties and threatened burning down the town. He, therefore, called on the IGP to act quickly to forestall any clash between the town's youth and the armed group. gri