Mob sets ablaze national security vehicle over fatal accident

An angry mob in the Akan Constituency has vandalized and sets ablaze a national security vehicle, believing that the occupants deliberately targeted and killed two individuals in an accident.

The vehicle, part of the national security anti-cocoa smuggling operations team, collided head-on with a motorcycle, resulting in the death of the two persons on the motorcycle.

Sets ablaze

The incident occurred on December 25, 2023, and the Ministry of National Security issued a statement in response to accusations by Yao Gomado, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Akan Constituency, who claimed that operatives deliberately killed two individuals in his constituency.

The Ministry refuted the MP’s account, stating that it is inaccurate and mischievously fabricated to serve a parochial agenda.

The Ministry clarified that the vehicle was involved in an accident during an intelligence-led operation to prevent cocoa smuggling to neighboring countries.

The operation, launched in collaboration with COCOBOD, aimed to address a surge in cocoa smuggling activities, resulting in a significant reduction in cocoa beans sold to Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs).

The anti-cocoa smuggling operations have been successful, leading to arrests and seizures of cocoa beans from smugglers.

The Ministry expressed regret over the accidental deaths and extended condolences to the families of the deceased.

It emphasized that the incident leading to the deaths was accidental and not a result of a targeted operation.

The public was urged to disregard inaccuracies in the MP’s press release and to understand the ongoing anti-cocoa smuggling operation in the constituency.

The Ghana Police Service is conducting a full-scale investigation into the accident.