Crime & Punishment of Tuesday, 8 February 2005

Source: GNA

Land guard shot dead at Kasoa

Agona Swedru (C/R) Feb 08, GNA - Kofi Asamoah, a land guard who was said to be terrorizing land developers at Kasoa, was on Monday shot dead in an exchange of gun fire between two land guards and the Police Anti/Land Guard Squad at Kasoa.

The other guard called Mallam rpt. Mallam escaped and had been declared wanted by the police.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Williams Mortty, Agona Swedru District Divisional Commander Crime Officer, told the GNA that on January 24 the two land guards confronted Mr Kwabena Boateng who was working on his plot with four labourers.

They introduced themselves to Mr Boateng as land guards of the area and demanded 400,000.00 cedis from him.

Mr Boateng was unable to pay the amount but agreed to bring the money on 26th January.

When he got back to Accra he informed the police and went back to his plot on February 7.

While working on his plot the land guards, armed with a locally manufactured pistol, a piece of iron rod and cutlass emerged and demanded the money.

They threatened that if he failed to produce the money they would demolish the structure.

ASP Mortty said the Anti-Land Guard Squad moved in to arrest them but the land guards opened fire. The police fired back, killing Asamoah.

He said Mallam and Asamoah had, earlier in the morning, threatened some land developers near Mr. Boating's plot and demanded amounts ranging between 100,000 cedis and 150,000 cedis from them.