General News of Thursday, 25 June 2015

Source: Today Newspaper

Police beef up security in Tamale

Police logoPolice logo

Northern Regional Police Command has beefed up security at the Tamale Volta River Authority (VRA) and NEDCo Commercial office, after some angry youth beseeched the premises and vandalised properties.

At the main entrance of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company which is a subsidiary of VRA, Today learnt, a police armored car had been positioned with a joint security force to avert further attacks and destruction.

The Public Relations Officer of the Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ebenezer Tetteh, told Today that the presence of security personnel on the company’s premises was to protect life and property.

He said investigations into the attack led to the arrest of the culprits.

ASP Ebenezer Tetteh however commended the Tamale Metropolis Assembly over its pledge to offer an amount of GH?5.000 to any person who volunteered information leading to the arrest of the ring leaders of the mob or anyone involved with the attack.

An angry mob marched to NEDCo and VRA offices and attacked the place with stones, clubs and other weapons smashing glass doors of the offices.

Their action was in protest against what they said was biased electricity power load shedding exercise in the Tamale metropolis.

They claimed the exercise had been skewed to their disadvantage.

They wondered how a region that did not have factories and thus consumed less power should compete for power supplies with other regions that required more electricity.

They contended that Muslim communities at this period of Ramadan should be exempted from the load shedding exercise.

Some of the protesters blamed President Mahama and his appointees for the national power crisis and called on the president to resign since the power situation was getting out of hands.

The youth also accused NEDCo of favouring some areas in the Tamale metropolis like Tishegu electoral area, Russian Bungalows, VRA Club House among others as they enjoyed interrupted power supply whilst other areas were under constant darkness.