The National Chairman of NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia has assured that the next NDC government will investigate deadly attack on residents of Krobo in 2019 which resulted in shooting to death of 24 year old Thomas Partey and multiple injuries including 18 year -old girl who was imputated .
Residents of Lower Manya Krobo were protesting against over billing and mass disconnection by PDS company which scandalously took over ECG then.
Then Energy Minister Peter Amawu later visited the troubled community and promised to constitute a committee to investigate the incident but nothing was done.
Addressing residents of Agormanya as part of five day campaign tour of the Eastern Region, National Chairmanbof NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia assured that the incident will be investigated and pepetrators will be prosecuted.
He said victims will also be compensated deserving victims.
“In Krobo area hear just misunderstanding over ECG meters they deployed security here to shoot and kill indiscriminately. When you assumed power the NDC had already connected the people of Krobo to the national grid, just collection of bills you have shot and killed residents. We are promising you that, when NDC assumes power anyone who has committed crime will be investigated and punished, and compensate the victims and families who lost their relatives to take care of their children in school”.said Johnson Asiedu Nketia
Angry youth of Kpongunor organized a spontaneous protest to petition the Municipal Chief Executive for the Area, Kwaku Simon Tetteh, on their concerns on over billing by PDS and its ongoing mass disconnection exercise.
The youth had earlier in the morning mounted road blocks and pelted the PDS Staff with stones and sticks at Yohe, a community near Odumase Krobo when PDS staff went to the community to discontinue its mass disconnection exercise.
The irate youth smashed a PDS Nissan Pick Up with Registration Number GV 2318-1. It took the intervention of armed Police personnel to rescue the PDS staff.
The PDS staff decided to switch off the transformer cutting off power supply to the entire area for weeks affecting even health facilities.
Shortly after the attack, the angry youth mobilized to embark on a protest to petition the MCE but the armed Police rushed to protect the Municipal Assembly Office by preventing the youth from entering the premises.
This led to standoff between the youth and the Police.
Many warnings shots fired indiscriminately.
A 24 year old Thomas Partey was shot dead in the process with Seven others sustaining injuries.
Ruth Makathar, 18, student of Odumase Krobo Anglican JHS was shot in both legs after she was caught up in the chaos.
Thirty-five(35) persons were arrested .
PDS was embarking on a mass disconnection exercise with armed Police personnel in Somanya, Odumase Krobo and its environs.
The exercise dubbed “Revenue Mobilization” according to Somanya District Manager of PDS Ing. Edward Ochire, has become necessary due to the failure by many residents to pay their electricity bills since 2017. A situation he said has led to revenue shortfalls of the company.
Hundreds of houses and even chief palace were disconnected in the exercise which started May 13, 2019 from Kpong and Nuaso communities.
PDS later switched off the transformers denying the entire community power supply for weeks which also affected health facilities.
In 2022 , the military were deployed to assist staff of ECG to install prepaid meters on houses in the Krobo enclave to replace the postpaid meters which also heightened tension in the area.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
