By Inusa Musah

Two persons are alleged to have been killed by the Tema Police in the September 17 gory incident that occurred at the Tema Manhean Canoe Beach Basin between the area’s Police and some natives who were protesting against the conversion of the basin into an oil palm refinery company.

The names of the deceased were given as Emmanuel Mantey Martey, 26 and Annan Mantey Martey, 24, both siblings and fishermen.

Emmanuel was shot and killed in the melee while Annan was shot and killed as he was mending his net at the Canoe Beach, according to Miss Sheila Tettey, a representative on the Women’s Council of Fishmongers.

Annan’s body was spotted ashore with blood stains on his shoulders and face moments after the Police had left the area, she alleged.

Miss Sheila Tettey disclosed this when a Management Member of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr. Oscar Kudjo, met with the fishmongers at the Beach Basin last Thursday to sympathize with them and assess the extent of damage caused to the fisher folks.

The well attended meeting was witnessed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), Mr. Frank Asante.

Narrating the incident, the Women’s Council representative said three young men who were among the 23 persons languishing in the Police Cells were arrested by the Police when the men were carrying Emmanuel’s remains into a vehicle.

Speaking with tears running down her eyes, Miss Tettey alleged that the Police, after arresting the three young men, instructed the driver of the vehicle to carry the body away “but scared of what might become of him if caught with the body, the driver went and dumped the body somewhere in an isolated area and later when we found the body, it had badly festered”.

Wondering how families could raise money to bail their children from the police cells, Miss Sheila said all 23 persons were innocent of the charges leveled against them, explaining that except three who were arrested carrying a dead body into a vehicle, the rest were arrested at dead dawn and far off the incident grounds.

Miss Sheila Tettey explained that the Police and GPHA had caused the fisher folks, particularly mothers, so much pain and injury which could take many years to heal.

She called on GPHA and the Police to release their innocent citizens to their families so that relations would arrange befitting burial for the two departed sons.

Taking turns to outline their concerns and protest to the GPHA management member, the citizens, with one determined voice and accord, said they would never be deterred by the action of the Police in letting go of the only parcel of land that provided them their livelihood to GPHA and Wilmer Africa Limited.

They claimed that GPHA and governments had through deceit, taken all their lands from them “but this time, we are wide awake and are ready to put our lives on the line to protect this basin”, they vowed, chanting traditional songs of unity.

The fishmongers pointed out that the 500 employment Wilmer Africa Limited claimed their company would provide was about 25, 000 less than what the Canoe Beach Basin has created for them, explaining that about 500 canoes at the beach carry about 22 paddlers each for fishing and the number of women who buy and sell from the fishermen is very large.

“In fact, if we compare this large employment the Basin provides us for our living, there is no way we will allow the land to be taken away from us,” the fishmongers pointed out.

Sobered by the narration of how the September 17 macabre occurred, Mr. Oscar Kudjo commiserated with the family of the death of Emmanuel and Annan.

Expressing his disappointment at the incident, Mr. Oscar could not agree more with the fishmongers’ concerns as he wondered where the women would dry their anchovies should the beach basin be leased out to Wilmer Africa Limited.

According to him, he was heartbroken of what he saw when the area’s chief fisherman took him round the wharf. In the light of that, he promised to convey the women’s concerns to the appropriate authorities so that the peace and unity that co-existed between GPHA and citizens of Tema Manhean were not marred.

Mr. Oscar Kudjo told the gathering that GPHA had scheduled to meet the Tema Traditional Council (TTC), Tema Youth Association (TYA) and a 17-Member Committee the TTC instituted to look into the merit of the Wilmer Africa project and advise the Council on it accordingly and all interested parties in the matter so that at a stakeholders’ meeting, a lasting solution would be worked out.

Expressing his indebtedness to Mr. Kudjo for paying a working visit to the fisher folks and to listen to their worrying concerns, Nii Adjeiteh Mator, the chief fisherman, prayed GPHA to, as soon as possible, make a way out to bail out the 23 persons in the Police Cells, and warned Wilmer Africa to stay away from the Basin.

He finally called for unity among relations whose front had been divided ever since the incident broke.

Meanwhile, the Tema Manhean residence have indicated their intention of staging a peaceful procession to the Osu Castle today to formally petition the president on what they say is the prosecution of innocent citizens of Tema of the areas police service.