Tension erupted at Nsueam in the Tarkwa Nsuaem municipality of the Western Region after some angry youth clashed with the police over an alleged child abduction incident.
According to information gathered, a man was reportedly seen attempting to take two school children into a vehicle.
A vigilant storekeeper who noticed the suspicious act quickly raised an alarm and informed some youth in the area, claiming the man was trying to steal the children.
The youth, with the help of a female police officer, managed to apprehend the suspect and escorted him to the Nsueam Police Station for further investigations.
However, moments after the suspect was taken into custody, an angry mob stormed the police station, demanding that the man be released to them.
The police refused, insisting that the matter be investigated properly a decision that infuriated the youth.
The situation quickly escalated into chaos as some of the youth began pelting stones at the police station, injuring one police officer in the process.
In response, the police reportedly fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, leading to several people sustaining injuries.
In the heat of the confusion, several motorbikes parked at the station were burnt, and a police vehicle was destroyed.
According to a statement issued by ASP Beatrice Turkson on Thursday, October 30, the incident began after officers detained 25-year-old Sulley Moses.
During the confrontation, three police officers and four civilians sustained injuries and received treatment at Nsuaem Government Hospital, with one civilian referred to Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital for further care.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Moses was arrested after residents accused him of attempting to lure two children, aged seven and five, to an unknown location.
“On Wednesday, October 29, a group of about 15 men, accompanied by two children, brought suspect Sulley Moses to the station, reporting that they had spotted him near Nivo Filling Station talking to the children,” the statement said.
“They suspected he intended to lure the children to an unknown destination and demanded police action.”
Following the children’s confirmation that Moses had forcibly held them, tensions escalated as news of his arrest spread. A mob of about 500 people, reportedly armed with stones and other weapons, stormed the station, demanding his release.
The crowd blocked the Takoradi–Tarkwa highway, set tyres ablaze, and hurled stones at police, causing damage to two vehicles, parts of the station building, and several impounded motorbikes.
Reinforcement teams, supported by military personnel, were deployed to disperse the crowd and restore order. Sulley Moses has since been transferred to the Tarkwa Regional Police Headquarters for further investigation
