Suame-Magazine riots: Police search for 2 Ghanaian ringleaders

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Police in the Ashanti Region are searching for two individuals for their involvement in the disturbances at the Suame-Magazine market in Kumasi.

Though police could not give full details of their identities, they believe their actions escalated the seeming tensions in the area.

Some irate local retailers at Suame-Magazine went around to forcefully order the closure of the shops operated by Nigerian traders.

The mob also allegedly ransacked two shops belonging to Nigerians and destroyed some items in the process.

“So far two names have been mentioned to the police as the mastermind of the attacks and efforts are underway to get them arrested” the Police said in a statement on Thursday, June 20.

A joint Police and Military contingent has, however been deployed to Suame-Magazine and its surrounding areas to ensure that whoever does anything untoward is “arrested and made to face the full rigours of the law without fear or favour”.

The police also cautioned the media to be circumspect in their reportage to avoid any further clashes.

Nigerians, other foreigners living in fear

A number of Nigerian traders left Suame Magazine on Tuesday, June 17, after over 50 of their shops were closed down for engaging in retail trade contrary to Ghanaian laws.

The Nigerians had returned to business following assurances by the Ashanti Regional Police Command after it held meetings with their leadership on Tuesday.

Although executives of the Nigerian traders had directed their people to return to their business sites, majority of the shops remained closed.

50-year-old Sylvester Okonkwo, a Nigerian businessman says his security cannot be guaranteed.

He said most of his properties were destroyed by the rioting Ghanaian traders following the raid.

“I fear for my life. Though our leaders have asked us to re-open our shops but I am afraid. My security cannot be guaranteed”, he said.

“I want to pack out. The tension is too much. I don’t think Ghanaians are treated this way back in Nigeria, posterity will judge us all, a teary-eyed Nigerian woman told Dailymailgh.com.

Why are we here?

A taskforce from the Trade Ministry in 2018 met leadership of the Ghana Union of Traders Association and the Nigerian Union Traders Association to address the disagreements between the two parties with little success.

According to the GIPC law Section 27 (1) of the GIPC Act, a person who is not a citizen or an enterprise which is not wholly owned by a citizen shall not invest or participate in the sale of goods or provision of services in a market, petty trading or hawking or selling of goods in a stall at any place.

But Ghanaian traders had accused duty bearers of refusing to implement the law.

Stereotyping Nigerians: High Commissioner was right

The Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana has strongly condemned the attacks unleashed by some Ghanaian locals on their Nigerian counterparts.

In a strongly worded statement, Ambassador Michael Olufemi Abikoye, blamed the media for over-reporting the matter, appealing for circumspection in their reportage

A Security Analyst also believes that the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana was right to caution the Ghanaian media on negative reportage that brand Nigerians as criminals.

According to Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso, the High Commissioner, Micheal Olufemi Abikoye, feared the narrative in the media had the tendency to lead to xenophobia attacks, a situation he sought to avert.

Dr. Antwi Danso who is the Dean and Director of Academic Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) added that the negative reportage has placed all Nigerians in a collective group as criminals even though some Nigerians in Ghana are not involved in any criminal activities at all.

Source: Daily Mail GH