The Ada District Police Commander, DSP George Aboagye, has denied police involvement in last week’s shooting incident at Toflokpo-Salom, a salt mining community in the Ada West District of the Greater Accra Region.

According to the commander, investigations so far shows that none of the police personnel sent to maintain law and order engaged in any shooting, adding that what transpired was a confrontation between some hired thugs and opposing youths of the area.

Last Friday’s incident at Toflokpo-Salom a salt mining Community in the Ada West District, which led to over 14 natives of the area sustaining gunshots wounds has been blamed on the police. According to various reports, some police officers who were dispatched to the site following reports of an attack by some indigenes on staff of Electrochem Ghana Limited-the company at the centre of the Ada Songor Lagoon Basin Concession agreement brouhaha, who had gone to the area to conduct survey works, started firing warning shots indiscriminately, injuring several residents including a schoolgirl.

But the District Police Commander for Ada, DSP George Aboagye, has described the report as inaccurate and misleading.

Speaking in a phone conversation, the commander who described the turn of events as unfortunate said bullets picked up from the site of the incident, showed they were that of a pump-action gun and not AK-47 as being speculated.
He said their checks also indicated that most of the victims were not indigenes but persons “bused” to the community by some unknown persons to cause mayhem, noting that a similar attack was unleashed on the Ada Police by these same thugs on that fateful day.

He said most of the victims upon investigations, revealed they were hired thugs, bused to the community by some traditional leaders who are against the concession agreement.

DCE for the Ada West District, Adzoteye Lawer Akrofi, who was also accused of leading the attack last week, denied any involvement. He has promised to seek legal action against persons trying to denigrate his hard-earned reputation, noting that, his office was rather attacked by some hoodlums on the said date when he had closed from office without any provocation.

He said he’s committed to ensuring the project goes on to give the area the needed revenue to develop, urging the company to continue the dialogue with all sides.

However, the Libi Wulomo (Chief Priest of the Ada Songor Lagoon) has described last week’s incident as a direct attack on their resistance against the concession agreement between government and Electrochem Ghana Limited.

He warned that they will not be intimidated in their fight to have the Minerals Commission abrogate the concession agreement. He wants heads of the police in the district to be neutral in the discharge of their duties.

In a related development, all 14 persons who sustained various degrees of injuries in last week’s incident have since been discharged from the Ridge Hospital.

Meanwhile, some 3 persons arrested by the police for attacking the Ada Police Command on the said date, will be processed for court later today by the police on charges of assault and unlawful entry.