Oblogo chief implicated in destruction of properties

Published in the Daily Graphic on 15/12/2009, pg 29

Story: Matilda Attram
The Chief of Oblogo, Nii Kwaku Bibini, has been accused of destroying property belonging to some residents of Oblogo, a suburb of Accra, last Sunday night.
The property include four houses, a car, a motorbike and other valuable items, as well as cash of GH¢400.
According to the victims, the destruction was due to a protracted land dispute between the chief and the Muslim community in the town.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Stool Secretary of Oblogo, Abdul Karimu, alleged that Nii Kwaku Bibini sent his boys to destroy the properties of the Muslim youth in the community when he was questioned about engraving the Muslim cemetery for his personal reasons.
According to him, Nii Bibini had insisted on sending Muslim residents out of the land for questioning his actions.
He said Muslims had been living on the land for many years without provocation until the dispute.
He said the land dispute had already been reported to the Ga Traditional Council for investigations.
A 30-year-old hunter and victim of the incident, Awal Fuseni, who briefed the Daily Graphic about his ordeal, indicated that he was out when the incident happened and on his return, he met his house on fire.
He said he suspected that some young men in the community, believed to have been ordered by Kwaku Bibini, set his house ablaze.
He mentioned names of some of the youth living in the community suspected to have led a group to take part in the incident.
The wife of Rashid Agyin, who was also a victim of the incident, told the Daily Graphic that her husband had gone out to deliver a parcel to a friend at between 9 and 10pm when the incident took place.
“I was sleeping when I heard a neighbour’s voice from my backyard telling me my husband’s motor was on fire, but it would be better if I stay indoors to save my life so I waited for a while and only came out to see the motor on fire but did not see any trace of the one who did that, and before I could go back to the room, I saw people rushing to Awal’s end because there was another fire there,” she explained.
On a visit to the scene, the Daily Graphic met the absence of Nii Bibini who was alleged to have escaped from the town since the incident.
The Divisional Commander of the Kaneshie Police Station, Superintendent Michael Avadetsi, confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic, saying that eight people including Nii Bibini had been arrested and would be arraigned.