A bid by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to clear illegal structures blocking drainage channels descended into chaos on Wednesday, July 8, leaving three officers injured and official equipment vandalized by residents near the Asafo Overpass.
The taskforce had been deployed to the area behind the COCOBOD building at Adum to remove encroachments obstructing water flow, as part of preparations for the rainy season.
But the operation took a violent turn when occupants of the makeshift structures fought back, smashing the windows of Assembly vehicles and disabling an excavator.
Despite the resistance, Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi struck a defiant tone, insisting that public safety must take precedence over illegal developments.
“There’s no way I will sit down for illegality to prevail,” he said, confirming that the damaged equipment would be repaired and redeployed.
Residents, however, contested the Assembly’s approach, claiming they were rightful owners of the land and had not received any formal eviction notice before the demolition commenced.
