23 arrested in latest Avenor shooting incident

Twenty-three persons have been arrested by the Police for their alleged involvement in a shooting incident at Avenor in Accra Monday afternoon.

Some AK47 wielding men stormed a disputed land at Avenor near the OA Transport terminal where some people were working amidst sporadic shooting.

The group were said to have set ablaze some container shops and an automobile machine on the disputed land before bolting away.

Monday’s incident is the second in a little over two weeks in a dispute over parcel of land that is said to be owned by the Ghana Road Transport Union at Avenor.

Eyewitnesses say they spotted two men on motorbike at about 12:00 noon in the area but they left and returned minutes later with two others, one of whom was holding a gallon.

According to the witnesses, one of the motorbike men pulled out an ak47 riffle from a sack and started shooting sporadically.

The gunmen then warned some construction workers stop work on a building and before setting ablaze some container shops.

Leader of the construction workers who spoke to TV3 on condition of anonymity said he got his men to vacate the site on time to avoid being hit by bullets.

“Í got everyone to leave the site immediately we heard the gunshots whilst I reached out to the police and our client to report the incident” he said.

The Accra Regional Police responded moved in to avert bloodshed. They managed to put out the fire and retrieved two empty AK47 bullet shells from the scene. The 23 persons were then arrested on suspicion of having played various roles in the incident.

Operations commander at the Accra Regional Police Command, chief superintendent Kwesi Ofori, expressed regret over the continuous disturbances in the area and called on the residents to be vigilant.

He has meanwhile urged the inhabitants to assist in identifying the alleged gunmen who are said to be known land guards.