Residents of Donkokrom in the Eastern Region have set ablaze the police station and barracks in the town to protest the escape of two alleged armed robbers who attacked a bullion van Tuesday and killed one person.
About 30 police officers at the station and the barracks who have been overpowered by the residents are fleeing for their lives as they fire warning shots into the air to scare the angry residents, Onua 95.1FM can confirm.
“All the youth are fighting with the Police now. They [Police] had to ran away because they have no tear-gas to use in dispersing the crowd which is stoning the officers,” our correspondent confirmed.
Eight cars are said to have been set ablaze by the residents. No casualties reported so far. No suspects were in the Police cells at the time of the incident.
First responders from the Ghana National Fire Service have been prevented from having access to the station to extinguish the fire which is said to have been started with gallons of petrol.
National Public Relations officer of GNFS, Timothy Osarfo Affum, confirmed to 3News that his officers are unable to get access to the fire scene due to the aggressive nature of the residents.
A Police reinforcement has been requested to bring the situation under control.
Riot sparked by escape of robbery suspects
Three suspected armed robbers on Monday attacked a Ghana Commercial Bank bullion van at Maame Krobo in the Afram Plains of the Eastern Region. The driver of the van was killed in the process.
Police in the region managed to foil the robbery incident as they could not stand the gun battle with the Police. They then fled into a bush but were arrested later.
However, two of the three suspects, including the policeman, escaped from Police custody while they were being transported to the Regional Police Command in Koforidua in the bucket of a pick-up vehicle.
The escape of the two has however angered the residents of Donkorkrom who are currently in arms with the Police, resulting in the latest incident.
The angry residents suspect foul play in the escape of the two, especially so because one of the suspect is a police officer.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter @steviekgh_TV3
