Soldiers to beef up security in Agogo over renewed herdsmen attacks

Security in the Agogo Township in the Ashanti Region has been beefed up with military personnel following recent attacks purportedly involving some nomadic herdsmen.

The Agogo District Police Commander, ASP James Jerry Ameka, said to Citi News, “God willing, from tomorrow, going, the military will be joining us so in terms of security, we are on top.”

ASP Amenka also said police were also resorting to dialogue to calm tensions.

“Those areas are predominantly Konkombas so we met the opinion leaders and the Odekro this afternoon and we had a meeting with them assuring them that they should have confidence in us and that we are still around,” he said.

On Saturday, a 35-year-old security guard was shot and killed by persons believed to be nomadic herdsmen.

The deceased was an employee of Scanfarms Ghana Limited.

The company has appealed to the government to provide it with security after the killing.

According to the police, managers of the farm reported that their security guards at Dukusen near Agogo in the Ashanti Region tried driving away some cattle that were grazing on a Sorghum farm at about 4 pm on Saturday but were unsuccessful.

The guards later called for reinforcement to help them drive away the cattle which were said to be destroying a sorghum farm.

The deceased, 35-year-old, David Ntiabak who was on his way to assist his fellow security guards ran into the herdsmen and was later found in a pool of blood.

He was rushed to the Agogo Presbyterian hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

A joint police and military task force; known as ‘Operation Cow Leg’,  was deployed to the area to help resolve the recurring tensions that exist between nomadic herdsmen and local crop farmers.

Some local farmers in the area have told Citi News that their food crops have been destroyed as a result of the recent activities of the nomadic herdsmen in the area.

By: Minna Dablu | citinewsroom.com | Ghana

Source: citifmonline.com