Gang War In Nima

....Nima Youth Calls for Inquiry Into Shooting Incident
Concerned Citizens of Nima 441 have appealed to the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of Interior to investigate a shooting incident at Nima that led to the death of a young woman, Miss Hassana Fusseini.

A statement issued at a press conference in Accra on Saturday said news reports that mentioned Mr. Abdul Razak, a member of a vigilante group, as being responsible for the death of the girl were unfortunate and a misrepresentation of facts.

Dr. Mustapha Ahmed, Member of Parliament for East Ayawaso, Mr. Charles Kofi Wayo, a business executive, the Regional Police Commander, the East Ayawaso District Police Commander, Nima East and West Assemblymen, Chiefs, Imams, and opinion leaders, attended the press conference.

Stray bullets hit Miss Hassana following gang warfare between some youth of Nima-441 and Ruga, both suburbs of Accra, on 21st February 2003. The victim was rushed to the Police Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. During the clash, armed police officers were deployed to restore order.

Residents said that the police fired warning shots to deter troublemakers from attacking innocent residents. Soon after the police gunfire, Miss Hassana was hit while selling food in front of her house.

The Concerned Citizens said media reports on the incident were skewed to shift blame. They added that, "it was a plot to incriminate Mr. Abdul Razak and his vigilante brothers who fought hard to expose the bad nuts within the society".

The statement said the youth were surprised to hear the media report that Razak is a hardened criminal and has been on police wanted list. "We challenge this and categorically say that Razak is not a criminal. He is a peaceful young man who is prepared to fight against injustice, crime, and cheating in the society."

The statement referred to an incident during which an alleged armed robber recently unleashed terror on the community and robbed people, defying attempts by the police to bring him to justice, only to be apprehended by Razak and his vigilante group and handed over to the law enforcement agencies.

"The vigilante group never exchanged fire with the police as reported in the media, let alone owning weapons such as AK 47 assault rifle," it said.

The youth however pledged to cooperate with the police and other security agencies to fight crime in Nima and rid it of criminals for the community to restore its image that has been tainted by activities of lawbreakers.