Chief of Ablekuma Flees

The Chief of Ablekuma (in Accra), Nii Larbi Mensah IV, has fled the town following an alleged assassination attempt on his life by some land guards.

The attempt, which is the second in about a year, was allegedly engineered by a group of land guards and illegal developers in the area who have not been happy about the chief's determination to stop the activities of land guards in the town.

Narrating his story in an interview with the "Times" on Tuesday, Nii Mensah who said he was putting up elsewhere for fear of his life, explained that the last assassination attempt took place on Saturday 15 February, while he and his people were clearing a piece of land for the construction of a school building.

About an hour into the exercise, he said some residents informed them that about 15 armed land guards riding motorbikes where in the area trying to locate his whereabouts.

Based on that information, the chief said he called the police and escaped in a tro-tro after disguising himself. But whilst on his way out of Ablekuma town, he met the police going to the town in response to his call and he joined them back to the town.

"Surprisingly, the police failed to arrest the land guards, saying that they were rather there to keep peace," he stated. He deplored the lukewarm attitude of the police, particularly those at Odokor, towards the issue, adding that despite of the fact that information on the activities of the land guards and some self-styled traditional leaders were involved in illegal sale of land in the area, the police have not acted.

On his next line of action, Nii Mensah said that he would petition the Inspector General of Police (IGP). Nii Mensah denied media report that there was a clash between two factions on Saturday 15 February resulting in five people being hospitalised. He said that the clash occurred at Weija and not Ablekuma.