The leadership of the Kwadaso Onion Market has sharply criticized the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) for what they perceive as a lack of consultation in the aftermath of the demolition of the trading hub.
They argue that such unilateral actions have left them in a state of uncertainty, putting the livelihoods of their members at risk.
Chaos erupted when armed police and military deployment supervised the demolition of the popular market Monday morning.
Authorities had ordered the traders and truck drivers to vacate to a new space in Atwima Takyiman, citing the security risk their operations are posing in the old market.
Speaking with Asaase News, business Organiser of the Kwadaso Onion Traders Association Karim Sulemana said their members are deeply disturbed by REGSEC’s actions.
“This is not the first time such an attempt has been made. The military and the police were there supervising the exercise. At least authorities should have given us time to mobilize and move our onions out of the old market. We had appealed to the MCE to at least give us some time to move. We haven’t even received any letter to that effect. Even the new market lacks space how can over 100 traders be there?”
For now, we are engaging authorities to know the way forward but until that happens the livelihoods of most of our members are at risk”, Sulemana said.
Some of the traders who spoke to Asaase News are already begging for mercy.
“We were at the workplace, and we saw the military and police are all over with a bulldozer that they are going to, that the regional minister and MCE are relocating us which we were not aware of that. We just heard it on the radio, and you cannot relocate somebody based on what he heard on the radio, you have to give the person an official notice and give you time, maybe three months or four months that we are relocating you before you can relocate us”, one trader said.
“You cannot just come this morning and say you are relocating us, that you got a place at Atwima-Takyiman and that we should go there, which is not fair. And here, we were told that they were selling the place to us, that’s what our elders told us, and we were gathering money to pay for it”, another explained.
Reporting By Jonathan Ofori, Ashanti Region
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