Three Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly officers were injured after squatters attacked officials during a demolition exercise at an illegal settlement in Asafo on Wednesday.
The demolition exercise, led by Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, descended into chaos after occupants of an illegal settlement behind the COCOBOD building near the Asafo Overpass allegedly pelted Assembly officials and security personnel with stones and attacked them with sticks.
The operation targeted structures the Assembly says were illegally erected along the Subin River, an area authorities have identified as a hotspot for drug trafficking, prostitution and criminal activity. The settlement has also been blamed for obstructing waterways and increasing the risk of flooding in Asafo Market and nearby communities.
The confrontation left three Assembly officers injured and caused extensive damage to KMA property, including a pick-up vehicle, an excavator and other operational equipment. The Assembly has reported the incident to the Railway Police for investigation.
Despite the violence, Mayor Boadi insisted the Assembly would press ahead with the exercise, announcing that demolition activities would resume on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
“Illegal squatters cannot threaten or stop me from doing the right thing,” the Mayor said.
He maintained that clearing the area was necessary to improve public safety and reduce flood risks ahead of the peak rainy season.
“Our intention is to clear them and then desilt the place. Some of our vehicles have been vandalised. We have lost one pick-up, an excavator was vandalised, and about three or four of our officers were injured. There’s no way I will sit down for illegality to prevail,” he stated.
The Mayor added that the injured officers would receive medical treatment after police documentation of the incident, stressing that the Assembly remained committed to enforcing sanitation by-laws and reclaiming public spaces.
Some affected residents, however, disputed the Assembly’s actions, insisting they legally acquired the land and were not given advance notice before the demolition. One resident claimed occupants had paid for the land, while another questioned where displaced families were expected to relocate.
The demolition forms part of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly’s ongoing sanitation and decongestion campaign, which has recently resulted in the arrest, prosecution, fines and custodial sentences for sanitation offenders. The latest operation also comes ahead of the two-day national sanitation campaign announced by President John Dramani Mahama.
