Squatters At Daggers Drawn in Kwahu South

TENSION IS mounting among squatters from different tribes at Nketepa in the Kwahu South district of the Eastern region over the extension of electricity to the area.

Nketepa is mainly dominated by Mepe, Anlo and Ada-Ningo tribes, with Akans and Hausas as the minority.

At the moment the youth in the town have refused to attend communal labour organised by the assemblyman of the area, accusing him of impatience and bad leadership.

Other tribes having aligned themselves against the Mepes accusing them of selfishness and being detractors, have allegedly vowed to teach them a lesson.

Chronicle was told that some of the youth have even gone ahead to prepare some clubs and other offensive implements for any future showdown.

The bone of contention, as narrated by the assemblyman from Nketepa electoral area, Mr. J. K.O. Klokpa, is that when the Volta River Authority (VRA) decided to extend power to the area, the Mepe community led by one Ben Doegah allegedly took leadership and managed to acquaint themselves with workers of the company who were contracted by the VRA to extend power to the area.

Doegah was alleged to have beaten a gong-gong in the town and asked the people to pay ?25,000 each as 'meter fees' without any consulting the chief and the assemblyman, who was then at Mpraeso attending an orientation course organised for assembly members by the Kwahu South district assembly.

On his return, the assemblyman summoned Doegah before the Anlo community chief in the town, Togbe Gbadago, to explain his strange action.

"At the chief's palace, Doegah became annoyed and asked me of the authority I had to ask him such a question," the assemblyman continued.

He said Doegah warned him that he (the assemblyman) would never get power in his house so he should buy more lanterns.

Klokpa said, true to Doegah's threat, only Mepe citizens in the town were supplied with metres, with the other tribes still in darkness.

A report was, therefore, made to the overlord of the area, Nana Brefa Dankwa, who is also Kwahu Amatehene, who queried Doegah's action and customarily fined him.

Nana Dankwa confirmed the story to the paper and expressed his dissatisfaction of Doegah's behaviour.

Doegah, on his part, said he took the action since the assemblyman was absent and the contracting company wanted to start the work immediately.

He said he did so without any ill-will as some people are trying to portray. He could, however, not explain why only Mepe citizens got the first consignment of metres sent to the town, but promised that the next consignment of metres would be distributed among the rest of the residents.

Meanwhile, the Kwahu South district chief executive, Mr. Raymond Osafo-Djan, has invited the contending parties to Mpraeso to go into the matter to avoid any violence since the situation is tense and could easily erupt into violence.