Residents express worry over how Kumasi Children's Park has now turned into a criminal hub

Correspondence from Ashanti region Some residents who live around Kumasi Children's Park and other pedestrians who ply that route have said it is risky to use that stretch during the night. According to the people who spoke to GhanaWeb, walking in front of the abandoned Children's Park from the Amakom traffic light through to the stadium junction or Afful Nkwanta, has now become life-threatening becuase to the park has been allegedly been occupied by criminals. They revealed that most of these criminals start their activities from 6:00pm where they attack victims at gunpoint, with knives and other offensive objects. "They collect people's items and run back into the Children's Park which is now a forest," a young lady who only gave her name as Asor revealed. "One or two persons cannot cross this place during night. Dare pass here and see what will happen to you, why do we have our own town but cannot access some places?" Another lady quizzed. “There are a lot of armed robbers and thieves around this building, and they have been collecting people's bags, monies, phones and other belongings at gunpoint. Some of the criminals also die here when they sustain injuries during unsuccessful robbery operations," One man disclosed. A 'dondo' maker who works in front of the park disclosed that he closes from work at around 5:00pm in order to avoid any criminal attack. According to him, some of these thieves broke into his locker and stole his items just three days ago before GhanaWeb's visit to the place. Contrary, a shoemaker only identified as Alhaji, who operates his business in front of the abandoned Children's Park, speaking to GhanaWeb, shockingly disclosed that the place was not a criminal hub as people had tagged it. According to him, most of the people occupying the place as their homes were good people who only had shelter challenges. He said, even though criminals used to operate within the area at night but that had become a thing of the past since such criminals had been driven away. Whilst some of them were lamenting over the frequent robbery attacks, others were complaining over some murder cases where people are being killed and dumped into the park. Their sentiments follow the death of an unidentified man in his 60's whose lifeless body was discovered on the park Monday evening. Daniel Otuo Acheampong, Assembly member of Afful Nkwanta electoral speaking to GhanaWeb expressed worry over the frequent rate at which he and his unit committee members are compelled to pick dead bodies from the Kumasi Children's Park at least every month. According to the assembly member, the supposed Children's Park in the middle of the town which is now tagged as a criminal hub was very worrying. "Criminals and other destitutes have now taken over the abandoned Children’s Recreational Centre and it is very worrying," he said. Mr. Otuo is therefore appealing to the government and other security agencies within the Ashanti region to do regular checks on the park to avoid such criminals and other homeless personalities who have been using the abandoned centre as their hub. Commenting on the death of the unidentified man, the worried assembly member revealed that the man was not known in the community and police are now investigating the issue. He said the cause of the man's death was yet to be known as at the time of filing this story. A visit to the place by GhanaWeb's Ashanti regional correspondent saw the abandoned park covered with bushes whilst some slums suspected to be homes of these destitutes had been created in some parts. Some eyewitnesses who sell items near the children's park speaking to Ghanaweb disclosed that they saw the man walking around during the day, and they were saddened to hear his death in the evening. Whilst some of them believe he might have died out of hunger, others were of the view that he died out of an attack. Meanwhile, the assembly member who spoke to Ghanaweb further disclosed that he together with the police were yet to confirm any source of suspected criminal attack that might have led to the man's death. The body has since been conveyed by the police to a morgue for an autopsy and investigation.