Some angry residents of Sakam in the Offinso Municipality of the Ashanti Region, took to the streets, last Friday (15 March), blocking sections of the Kumasi-Techiman highway in protest.
The demonstration, fueled by recent tragedy, saw the death of a 14-year-old girl due to reckless driving, exacerbating frustrations over ongoing accidents.
Military and police intervention was deployed to disperse the crowd that had taken over the Offinso-Sakam stretch, underscoring the pressing need for enhanced road safety measures.
Assembly Member Ibrahim Yogo told Asaase News about the community’s persistent but futile efforts to install speed ramps.
“I have written letters to the Assembly, notifying the MCE of the need to mount speed ramps here but that has yet materialized,” Yogo explained.
He further said, “So, yesterday (Thursday) the accident infuriated the youth who launched this protest. In fact, I had asked them to exercise restraint, but they wouldn’t listen and so they continued their protest this morning (Friday) until I called the MCE who also deployed police and military reinforcement.”
He revealed that the five people had been apprehended and were in custody at Offinso, emphasizing the urgent need for action to prevent further tragedies on the perilous highway.
The road has since been reopened to traffic, while the youth plans to convene a press conference in the coming days to address the issue.
Reporting By Jonathan Ofori, Ashanti Region
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