Police arrest one person over Kato chieftaincy dispute

One person has been arrested and detained by the police in connection with last week’s violent chieftaincy clashes at Kato near Berekum, which left one person killed.

Police Superintendent Alhaji Maama Arhin, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Crime Officer, gave the name of the suspect as Paul Osei Kyere, 32.

He said he was picked in Sunyani and has been charged with possession of a gun without authorization and discharging a firearm in public.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the suspect would be put before court as soon as the judicial service workers called off their industrial action and resumed work.

The 16-year old Kato chieftaincy dispute came to a head on Monday, May 23, when an attempt made to parade a rival chief installed by the queen, Nana Afia Siraa Ababio III, sparked a gunfight between the rival factions.

In the confusion, one Edmund Opoku Appiah, was shot dead, while two other people sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.