Drivers at Pampaso Lorry Terminal near Kejetia have vowed to resist attempts by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to sack them from the area.
The drivers have accused the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Osei-Assibey Antwi of sending police and military personnel there to sack them.
According to them, the attempt to remove them resulted in some of the drivers sustaining injuries.
Nana Sarpong, CEO of Sar Transport who has cars operating at the Pampaso Lorry Terminal for over three decades said they will resist all attempts to move them.
“Police and military personnel came here claiming that the mayor wants us to leave this place. So they came here to beat us up. They even fired some shots. This is one of the bullets. This is my car; a police officer destroyed my glasses. A military officer destroyed the other side. They said the Mayor, Osei-Assibey Antwi told them to destroy any car they see around here. If we had not been lucky, we could have been shot.”
“My elder brother who is 75 years was beaten by the military. He was pushed. He collapsed as a result of it. He was taken to the hospital yesterday. He has now been discharged. They asked us to leave here for the ‘trotro’ drivers to replace us. So we said we would not agree for us to be sacked only to be replaced with other driver unions because we are also drivers. That is what resulted in the clash”.
The drivers insist that a private individual owns the area; and so attempts by the KMA to evict them and hand over space to other driver unions, will not be accepted.
“This is not the Assembly’s property. It is for a private individual. It is for Las Palmas. The chairpersons from the various 24 driver unions have connived with the Mayor. I will reiterate this anywhere I am given the opportunity to speak. They own other lorry terminals. If they deny, I will invoke curses on them. If they are not careful, worse things could happen,” a driver indicated.
“They (the military and the police) said the Mayor had given them the directive to do that. The other chairpersons for the other driver unions are behind this action. We have nowhere to go to. If indeed they want us to move from here, we will not leave. We are not willing to leave this place no matter what they do,” another insisted.
A security guard at the Pampaso lorry terminal, says he was beaten by the military officers when he approached the team.
“I saw the police here causing damage to cars. So as the security guard, I asked them why they were doing that. They ended up beating me. I called my manager, so we went to their office at KMA. My manager gave me money, so I went to the hospital”
Members of a team of military and police personnel seen around the area declined speaking to the media.
The authorities of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly were not available to respond to the allegations made by the drivers at the Pampaso Lorry Terminal.
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By: Edward Oppong Marfo | citinewsroom.com | Ghana