By Laudia Sawer, GNA
Tema, April 13, GNA- Two men were reported dead and three injured when some Kplejoo groups clashed with the Navy at Tema Newtown during the final procession of the Kplejoo festival.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered that as part of the festival, the groups on the evening of Friday, April 12, 2024, went on their usual annual procession throughout the streets of Tema Newtown.
The groups, who were allegedly stopped from using the street in front of the Eastern Naval Base, defied the orders of the Navy and took that route.
This, the GNA learnt, led to a clash between the two, during which some members of the youth group started throwing bottles, and the Navy counterparts responded with some gunshots towards them.
The shooting, however, led to the deaths of the two, whose bodies have been deposited at the mortuary, while the three are on admission at the Tema General Hospital.
Mr. Adjei Tetteh, one of the injured victims, told the GNA at his bedside that he was part of the Asafo group and was in charge of the barrier mounted at the Tema Newtown bridge area.
He said per instructions, they were supposed to send the metal barricades to the naval base junction when it was 20:00 hours so that, those going towards community one could easily get transportation without any problem.
He indicated that upon reaching the naval junction, he could hear some gunshots from afar, and the navy personnel were preventing people from using the road in front of the base, adding that the gunshots became intense, so, he decided to run away, only for him to realise that his feet had become stiff with blood oozing out.
Meanwhile, the Navy has assured that it will soon issue a press release on the issue as indicated by officials at the base.
INVESTIGATION
Meanwhile the Navy says it is investigating two attacks that occurred at the Tema Naval base on Friday and Saturday the 12th and 13th April.
A statement signed by Eric Aggrey Quashie, Director General of the Department of Public Relations, Ghana Armed Forces, stated that the findings would be made available in due course.
The Ghana Armed Forces said it sympathised with the bereaved families, and urged them to remain calm and cautioned the youth of the area to desist from further attacks or face appropriate response.
On Friday the 12th of April 2024 around 7:53 pm, a crowd partaking in a traditional festival in Tema allegedly attacked a vehicle belonging to the Eastern Naval Command of the Ghana Navy.
The attackers damaged the vehicle and injured three naval personnel allegedly.
The personnel were taken to the Tema Naval Base Medical Centre for treatment whilst two civilians after the incident, according to police report, were later brought dead to the Tema General Hospital.
“A mob, suspected to be part of the participants in the festivities, later attacked the Tema Naval Base with stones and other implements with the aim of releasing their colleagues. At a stage, the security of the Base was threatened, and in order to protect the sensitive installations in the Base, warning shots were fired to repel the attack. It was later reported by the Police that two civilians were brought to the Tema General Hospital dead. The cause of death is yet to be ascertained,” the statement said.
WARNING SHOTS
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) said personnel at the Eastern Naval Base in Tema Newtown had to fire warning shots on Friday evening (April 12, 2024) to protect the sensitive installations of the base and repel attacks from some youth at the town.
Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, the Director General, Public Relations, Ghana Armed Forces, stated this in a press release on Saturday in response to allegations that navy personnel fired into youth groups processing during the Tema Kplejoo Festival, killing two men and injuring three others.
The injured are on admission at the Tema General Hospital.
The release said a vehicle belonging to the Eastern Naval Command was attacked by a crowd partaking the festival at Tema Newtown at about 1953 hours on Friday, leading to a damage to the vehicle.
Three of the naval personnel on board the vehicle also sustained injuries and were sent to the Tema Naval Base Medical Centre for treatment.
In the course of the confrontation, three suspects were arrested by the naval personnel and were subsequently handed over to the Tema Newtown District Police for further investigations, the release said.
It noted that a mob, suspected to be part of the participants in the festivities, later attacked the Tema Naval Base with stones and other implements with the aim of releasing their colleagues.
“At a stage, the security of the base was threatened, and in order to protect the sensitive installations in the base, warning shots were fired to repel the attack,” it said.
It was later reported by the police that two civilians were brought to the Tema General Hospital dead; “the cause of death is yet to be ascertained,” the release said.
It said on Saturday, April 13, 2024, the mob again attacked the Tema Naval Base and the Naval Barracks at Tema New Town (Biekro Barracks), leading to the destruction of properties.
The Ghana Police Service, in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces, had commenced investigations into the incident, and the findings would be made available in due course, it added.
“The Ghana Armed Forces commiserates with the bereaved families and urges calm to be maintained by all parties while the incident is being investigated.”
The Army, however, cautioned the youth of Tema that any further attacks on its installations or personnel would be met with the appropriate response.
Based on reports by GNA
