2 Injured In Clash, Opoku-Prempeh Arrested

Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh

The Member of Parliament for Manhyia, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, was arrested by the Ashanti Regional Police command yesterday over the Thursday shooting incident in his constituency where two persons were injured.

Dr Opoku-Prempeh alias Napo was granted bail after his caution statement was taken.

He was later granted bail with GH¢30,000 as surety.
The MP was said to be on a house-to-house campaign at Ashtown when a certain Maffius Jibril, an NDC activist, opened fire, provoking NPP supporters to react. Maffius’s sister was said to have been injured in the confusion that greeted the shooting.

Maffius was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching where he has been receiving treatment.

The regional police commander, Augustine Gyening, told the media that the police were treating the case as a purely criminal one.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command had invited Dr. Opoku-Prempeh in connection with the bloody attack.

One Maffius and his gang clashed with some supporters of the NPP around 6pm during a house-to-house campaign at Ashanti New Town.

DCOP Gyening stated that the MP was a key person to assist the police with investigations to ascertain the facts of the incident.

At a press conference yesterday in Kumasi, the police boss told newsmen that Maffius sustained gunshot and cutlass wounds as a result of the bloody clash.

He indicated that the victim had been sent to the Intensive Care Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he was receiving treatment for his wounds.

According to the police chief, a sister of the victim, Jamira Zibriem, recounted to the police that while the MP was on a house-to-house campaign, he visited their house at about 4pm with some of his supporters.

Mr Gyening said Jamira narrated that she sensed at a point that her brother Maffius had a score to settle with one Gawuso, who was among the entourage of Napo, but could not settle the differences of the two men after she attempted to broker the peace.

Jamira reportedly disclosed that two hours later after the MP had left the house with his followers, she and his brother met them again on their way to Akoremu.

Upon setting eyes on Maffius, Jamira claimed that Gawuso attacked the victim with a gun which was followed by other cutlass attacks from the MP’s entourage.

She also sustained minor injuries on her ear after she attempted to shield her brother from further attacks, DCOP Gyening stated, and added that Dr. Opoku-Prempeh was needed by the police for questioning.

He dismissed a suggestion that the attack was politically motivated, asserting, “This is purely a criminal matter and that is how we’re going to treat it.”

Mr Gyening said the police were determined to safeguard the peace of the region, and warned that they would not allow any person or group of persons to “misbehave”.

Meanwhile, the MP had earlier told DAILY GUIDE the incident happened  at an intersection  near the Subin valley when he and his supporters were moving from shop to shop, canvassing for votes.

According to him, he entered a shop in the area to interact with the shop owner and saw a big car approaching a minute later, after which he heard gunshots being fired indiscriminately.

He stated that he took cover in the shop upon the advice of its owner.

The lawyer for the MP, Nana Yaw, said the whole incident happened on his client’s blind side and therefore could not have been a party to it.