Tension at Obuasi Rabb Junction as shop owners resist demolition exercise

Tension has escalated at Rabb Junction in the Obuasi East Municipality of the Ashanti Region after the owners of container shops refused to comply with a demolition exercise initiated by the Municipal Assembly. The operation, overseen by Municipal Chief Executive William Kofi Adzowu, involved police officers, Assembly staff, and demolition machinery.

The impacted merchants claimed they had been running their businesses under a high-tension electricity line, yet they questioned the decision to pull down the buildings without offering them alternative sites. Speaking to Adom News, several shop proprietors disclosed they had been operating at the site for over 27 years and had made substantial investments in their enterprises.

Food vendors and other traders also implored the Assembly to provide them with new locations so they could carry on with their means of making a living post-demolition. Meanwhile, Assembly Member for the Brahabebome Low-Cost Electoral Area, Alfred Jackson, voiced his disapproval of the decision to proceed with the exercise without consulting the broader Assembly body.

Jackson contended that the matter should have been discussed and approved by the General Assembly before the demolition took place, arguing that the manner of the exercise was not in the best interest of the affected residents and merchants. Adom News tried to get a reaction from the MCE, but he refused to comment, stating that he would address the matter after the demolition exercise was finished.