Youth, police clash over power outages at Somanya

Two people have sustained gunshot wounds at Somanya in the Eastern Region, after a group of irate youths clashed with the police during a demonstration against power outages in the area last Wednesday.

The two, one Michael Asare, 39, from Kodjonya, a surburb of Odumase Krobo, and Teye Kwame, 35, a resident of Somanya, who were allegedly shot at during the clash, were taken to the Atua Government Hospital, but later referred to the Eastern Regional Hospital.

However, two police, Constable Michael Bright Bortey and Constable Edmund Asamoah were also injured after they were petted with stones by the angry youth.

The Eastern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ebenezer Tetteh, confirmed the incident to the Ghanaian Times here yesterday.

He said that on Wednesday, at about 7pm, the Somanya District Police received a tip-off that a group of people from Nuaso near Kpong had started rioting and heading towards Odumasi Krobo and Somanya, to attack staff of the Power Distribution Services in Somanya for failing to provide electricity.

He said when the police went to the Somanya roundabout they saw some rioters, who had blocked the main road,  burning car tyres, wielding machetes, broken bottles and other offensive weapons.

 DSP Tetteh said the rioters peddled stones at the police, and the police seized lorry tyres, adding that some of the rioters fled.

He said another group from Ogome, a suburb of Somanya, appeared at the scene to confront the rioters while the police tried to calm the situation.

DSP Tetteh explained that the two were allegedly shot and some police officers also sustained injuries in the process.

He said a total of 85 police officers from Akosombo, Akuse and Akropong, all in the region assisted the Somanya police to restore calm to the area.

FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN AND DAVID KODJO, KOFORIDUA