Highway Authority office shuts down after attacks in Northern Region

The Ghana Highways Authority in the Northern Region has been closed down indefinitely after security agencies failed to open investigations into an attack on its workers a week ago by a youth group said to be affiliated to the ruling party.

Regional Highways Director, Joseph Atsu confirmed to Starr News that the decision was taken Monday by a joint National Executive of the Highway Authority Senior and Senior who raised security concerns and lackluster attitude of the regional security council towards the attack.

Workers of the Highways on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, exactly a week today, had to flee for their lives after a group allegedly affiliated to the New Patriotic Party attacked the directorate over claims that road contracts had been awarded to NDC contractors.

The intruders who claimed to be members of the Kandahar Boys stormed the facility with motorbikes and demanded to see the regional director, who was the target of the attack, before turning their fury on the secretary and assaulted her for telling them the director was away in Accra attending meetings.

The secretary was taken to hospital where she was treated and discharged, and together with some senior staff of the agency the matter was officially reported to the police.

In a joint statement issued and copied Starr News, the Senior Staff Association and Union have demanded the Minister in charge of Roads and Highways to “condemn the act and initiate measures to prevent further attacks on” workers of the Highway Authority.

“We further wish to inform the Northern Regional Security Council to investigate, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators to serve as deterrent to others”, the statement jointly signed by National Chairman of Senior Staff Association, Oswald Amanfu and Noble Yasroku, chairman of Workers Union, added.

The workers have also threatened to lay down their tools and trigger and industrial protest if authorities fail to resolve the matter “within a reasonable time”.

The Regional Minister and some members of the Security Council visited the facility and have assured the workers of enough security would be provided, asking them not to feel threatened.

Two armed police officers have since been deployed to guard the facility.