Residents of Kotwi in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region say they are living in fear due to incessant robbery attacks in the area.
The inhabitants recount how some persons have been robbed of their belongings and killed; a situation which has forced some persons to flee their homes.
Kotwi is among the areas rapidly developing in the Ashanti Region.
Being close to Kumasi and major administrative offices in the Central Business District of the capital, many people, particularly the middle class, view the area as an ideal place to acquire homes.
The security situation in the area is however a major headache for the people.
They complain about regular armed robbery attacks at night and even in broad daylight.
They cite instances where some residents have been killed.
According to them, some persons have even abandoned their homes and relocated to other areas after being traumatized by their experiences.
Speaking to Citi News, some leaders of Landlords Associations in the area said the situation has made living in the area very uncomfortable.
“Armed robbers have been terrorizing us. Some time ago, I was attacked in my house. After making away with some items, they even destroyed my television set. They also robbed about eleven other residents. I want authorities to have a police station here in between Bekwame and Kotwi to scare them from engaging in such activities,” a landlord, Osei Owusu Emmanuel, stated.
“In fact, in terms of security, we are at risk. On a weekly and monthly basis, we hear robbery cases and criminality going on in the community. It tells you that it is a risky situation. We want the Ghana Police Service to increase its visibility here. When you speak to the regional and district command, they keep saying that they don’t have the numbers. That’s a challenge for us,” Kwame Asiedu, the organizer for Kotwi-Twenduase liberty landlords Association added.
The Assembly Member for the Kotwi Electoral Area, Augustina Obeng Agyemang, wants police personnel to be stationed permanently at a police post mounted in the area.
“Recently, just behind the police post, a nice lady who had closed from work was attacked and killed. This is because there wasn’t any light there. The authorities should give us a permanent police station so that throughout the day, there would be policemen who will be patrolling here. Once they continue to do that in the area, it will put some fear in those bad people.”
The Assembly Member said although the CEO of Ebenage Herbal Production and Consult, Ebenezer Agyemang, who has his Hepa Plus Mixture Production facility in the area, has provided them with streetlights, more needs to be done to boost security in the town.
Mr. Ebenezer Agyemang however said the security agencies can do more to help keep the area safe beyond his personal support.
“When the assembly member and the community called on us to have the volunteers patrol to combat crime, we considered it as very important, as far as the general wellbeing of the community is concerned. It is a social responsibility and as far as Hepa Plus is concerned, we consider it as very important. We are taking this opportunity to also call on the police and the security agencies to come and help. These volunteers are just supplementing. The real solution would be the police and the security agencies who have the mandate to combat crime”.
The chief of the area, Nana Asare Asiedu Kotwi, who is also worried about the situation, wants stakeholders to pay serious attention to the security concerns.
“From Kejetia to Anwia-Nkwanta or even Obuasi, the busiest place is Kotwi. People don’t sleep from dawn to dusk. There is rampant stealing here, unauthorized entry into people’s premises and harassment especially women with phones. Even with the few that I have mentioned, it is quite disturbing”.