Portor attack: One confirmed dead, five houses & live ammunition retrieved

One person has been confirmed dead and five houses burnt in Friday’s chieftaincy clash at Portor near Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region, an attack that has rendered the small community a ghost town.

According to the Police, sophisticated weapons including AK47 and G3 guns were used in the attack. Some live ammunition and used rounds of cartridges have meanwhile been retrieved from the community.

Most residents have deserted the area for fear of reprisal attack. Not even the heavy security presence in the community could assure them of their safety as they were seen carrying their belongings out of the community.

Some of the houses that were set on fire were still engulfed in smoke and flames while some women were also seen wailing in the compound of the deceased, Yahaya Abbas, whose house was also burnt. Yahaya left behind two wives and seven children. One of his daughters was also killed in a similar violent clash that occurred at the place last year.

Schools are not likely to be in session on Tuesday and the coming days as teachers have fled the place. School children have no choice but to carry their tables and chairs away for safety.

One pupil, James Mensah, said the volatile situation is disrupting their studies and called on the government to act quickly to ensure they go back to the classroom Friday’s disturbances was said to have been triggered by the seizure of some illegal lumber belonging to one of the factions, the Masawud Clan, by some Forestry officials. According to eyewitnesses, the Masawud Clan accused the other faction, the Bawa Clan, of having tipped the Forestry officials, hence decided to settle scores with the Bawa Clan resulting in the disturbances.