A joint security operation in a ghetto enclave behind the Dominase Onion Market in the Gomoa East District turned violent on Tuesday, leaving one civilian dead and three security officers. The injured officers are made up of two police officers and an immigration officer seriously injured.
The operation, carried out by the Gomoa East District Security Council and the Central East Regional Police Command, was aimed at dismantling suspected criminal hideouts following a surge in highway robberies along the Kasoa–Winneba stretch.
According to reports, tensions flared when security personnel and assembly staff began demolishing makeshift structures believed to be occupied by criminals. During the exercise, a young man, believed to be a squatter, was found bleeding and unresponsive inside one of the buildings. It is suspected he had attempted to hide as the demolition began. His death sparked immediate outrage among the squatters, locally referred to as “ghetto boys.”
Armed with cutlasses, stones, and sticks, the enraged group launched a violent attack on the security team and assembly workers.
The attackers also vandalized public property, destroying two earth-moving machines belonging to the District Roads Improvement Programme (DRIP) and smashing the windshield of a police patrol vehicle.
Amid the chaos, the injured officers were initially rushed to the Gomoa Potsin Polyclinic and the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital.
They have since been referred to the Police Hospital in Accra for advanced medical care due to the severity of their injuries.
Earlier in the operation, security forces reportedly uncovered drugs and dangerous weapons on some of the individuals at the scene. This discovery prompted the immediate commencement of the demolition exercise, which quickly escalated into a full-scale confrontation.
Efforts to control the crowd included firing warning shots, but the scene quickly became too volatile, forcing law enforcement officers to retreat temporarily for their own safety. Six suspects were arrested in the course of the operation and are currently in police custody.
Speaking to the press, Nana Adjoa Oboma, Market Queen of the Gomoa Akyempim Market (Dominase Onion Market), expressed support for the operation. She confirmed that traders and travelers have long been victims of robberies and assaults by suspected criminals operating from the area.
“The market women and passengers have lived in fear for far too long. We welcome this intervention by the authorities. Our only hope is that the law will be enforced and the area made safe again,” she said.
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