Gory: Man’s wrist chopped off in clash over land
A land dispute at Adjagotey, a suburb of Kwabenya in Accra, turned bloody yesterday when a 36-year-old man’s wrist was slashed off in a clash between two groups, believed to be land guards from two families.
The victim, Ayittey Okaija, from the Sakumo Amatey We at Bukom, lost his left wrist after he and another person, Obuamah Addey, had gone to the site to drive away some men from Dome in Accra they had spotted working on the land they claimed belonged to their family.
Immediately the men working on the land saw Okaija and Addey from a distance, one of them was said to have picked his phone and called for back-up.
In the process of the confrontation, another group, numbering 15 and fully armed with machetes and guns, appeared from the bush and managed to surround Okaija and Addey.
In an attempt to call for support, Okaija also picked up his phone and attempted to place a call for back-up, but one of the men from Dome, identified as Mustapha, used the machete he had come with to slash off Okaija’s wrist.
The men, after cutting off Okaija’s wrist, allegedly pounced on his acquaintance, Addey, and gave him a severe beating.
According to the Kwabenya Police Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr Franklin Yevugah, Addey and Okaija managed to escape from the men and reported the case to the police.
He said Okaija, who had then lost much blood, was rushed to the Atomic Clinic where he was given first aid and then referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
Asked whether the police had made any arrest, Mr Yevugah said all the suspects had fled when the police team arrived at the land site, which is close to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) transmitter at Kwabenya.
According to him, Addey confirmed that he knew the attackers and mentioned Baabi, Ahmed, as well as Mustapha, who had slashed off Okaija’s wrist, as some of the attackers.
Mr Yevugah said Addey, in the course of interrogations, claimed that the attackers had mentioned Auntie Kaa, a resident of Dome, as the woman who had given them the authority to attack any person they (the Dome men) spotted at the site.
Land disputes at Kwabenya
According to Mr Yevugah, the clash between the two groups was not the only case reported to the police, adding that there had been several land cases which had resulted in clashes among land guards.
“We have made several attempts to arrest these land guards but the problem we encounter is that most of them, apart from hiding in the bush, also manage to receive information before we get to the scene,” he said.
He said although the police had been able to make some arrests in the past, recent clashes among land guards “have become rampant”.
Police next step
He said the police were waiting for Addey to return from hospital to lead them to the residence of Auntie Kaa, whom he claimed he knew.
“Once we are able to find out the location of Auntie Kaa, we will then be ready to take the next action,” he said.