A demolition exercise by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) at an illegal settlement behind COCOBOD at Asafo turned violent on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
The squatters attacked Assembly officials and security personnel with stones and sticks.
The operation, led by Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, targeted what authorities describe as one of the city’s notorious hubs for drug trafficking and prostitution.
The area has also been identified as a flood-prone zone, with illegal structures blamed for obstructing the flow of the Subin River and increasing the risk of flooding in Asafo Market and surrounding communities.
Despite the presence of heavily armed security personnel, the demolition team was met with fierce resistance from some of the squatters.
Several KMA vehicles were damaged during the clash, while some personnel sustained injuries. The Assembly has since lodged a formal complaint with the Railway Police over the incident.
Speaking to the media, Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi mentioned that the violence would not deter the Assembly from continuing the exercise.
“Illegal squatters cannot threaten or stop me from doing the right thing,” the Mayor stated, adding that the demolition exercise would resume on Thursday July 9, 2026.
According to him, the illegal settlement poses a significant security and environmental threat to Kumasi.
“The presence of the squatters there is a security threat to Kumasi. They are engaged in drug trafficking and prostitution, while polluting the Subin River and engaging in other criminal activities. The time to act is now, and their actions cannot intimidate me,” he stated.
The demolition forms part of Assembly’s ongoing sanitation and decongestion campaign aimed at enforcing local sanitation by-laws and improving environmental conditions across the Kumasi Metropolis.
In recent weeks, the Assembly has intensified enforcement efforts, leading to the arrest and prosecution of several individuals for violating sanitation regulations. While some offenders have been fined by the courts, others have received custodial sentences.
The latest exercise comes ahead of the two-day national sanitation campaign declared by President John Dramani Mahama.
By Benjamin Aidoo
