East Legon Hills residents express concerns over gunshots incident, insecurity

Some residents of a community within East Legon Hills in Accra have voiced their worries and fears following several gunshots from unknown, suspected land guards that occurred on Saturday, February 3, 2024, just behind their estates.

Speaking to the media, the chairman of the estate management committee, William Mensah Doodo, stated that the shooting incident, which lasted for about fifteen minutes, has traumatized many residents, including women and children, due to several recent robbery incidents experienced by the residents.

"We have been living in fear. There was gunshots for close to fifteen minutes by the land guards and this has been going on for sometime now. We are traumatized by this happening. All residents, including women and children, are living in fears.

"The land guards were attempting to stop workers of Chris Hammond, the owner of Red Row Estate in the same location, who claims ownership of a piece of land in the estate with documents and was attempting to develop it," he explained.

The impact of the incident could be seen from how several valuable assets, including a bulldozer and a concrete mixer, had been burnt on the site.

Additionally, two of the residents: Thomas Hayford and Benedict Abankwe, also shared their frustrations and fears, stating that they initially thought the gunshots were from children playing with firecrackers (knockouts) until the shooting got closer to their homes.

The residents of Communication Hills Estate have since urged state authorities to take urgent action, either by providing a police post or increasing police patrols in the area, to enhance security and ensure the safety of the residents.

NAY/AE