Atebubu DCE in trouble for slapping Drivers’ Union chairman

The District Chief Executive of Atebubu Amanting, Edward Owusu, is alleged to have slapped the Chairman of the Tipper Truck Drivers Association Mr Kofi Fofie when a misunderstanding occurred between them.

Speaking in an interview with The New Crusading Guide, the victim, Kofi Fofie, explained that he was invited by the District Chief Executive to his office for discussions regarding some tax charges imposed on Tipper Truck Drivers by the District assembly.

Mr Fofie indicated that while interacting with the DCE, the latter got angry and started insulting him. “The words he used against me were so bad that I had to respond because I am not a small boy to be humiliated like that”, Fofie lamented.

He further explained that “the DCE got enraged and threw his hand in a bid to slap me but I pulled back a bit and it hurt my chest and in his second attempt to, I docked and it hit his own friend who was with us in the room.”

In a separate interview with the DCE for his side of the story, the DCE flatly denied the allegation and indicated further that the issue has been reported to the Police and therefore would not make any comment on it.

He confirmed that he invited the Chairman to the office for some deliberations and did not beat him as is being reported. Meanwhile, Corporal David Opoku, an officer at the District Police Charge office in Atebubu has confirmed that Mr Fofie has lodged such complaint which is being worked on.

The organizer of the Tipper Truck Drivers Association, Emmanuel Appiah also confirmed the beating of Mr Fofie by Honorable Owusu. According to him, the decision by the DCE to impose new taxes on their operations led to the confusion.

He said the DCE told them to come and renew their trucks for GHS100 every month after he had increased the toll to GHS10 FROM FIVE CEDIS plus some additional charges of GHS30 every month among others which they rejected. This is what created the problem.

He has therefore called on the President, Nana Akufo Addo to set up a team to investigate the case and punish the DCE for misconduct.