Police intercept cargo trucks loaded with 171 ‘kayayei’ heading to the northern region
About 171 head porters, popularly known as ‘kayayei’, who were disguised as cargo, have been intercepted by the Nkawkaw District Police Command.
The head porters had fled Accra hours after Ghana’s coronavirus lockdown kicked in some parts of the country.
Among those in the tightly packed cargo truck were 120 nursing mothers and 51 children who fought for space with their bags and other properties.
The Nkawkaw District Police Command, which made the arrest, intercepted two cargo trucks with registration number AS 8983-12 and GT 4260-15 respectively at Asona in the Kwahu West Municipality, loaded with the head porters.
After their arrest, the head potters, in an interview on Agoo FM said that their businesses had come to a halt due to the President’s directive on lockdown in Accra, Kumasi, Tema and Kasoa.
With businesses shut down while millions of Ghanaian stayed home, the Kayeyei said they had been left with no means of livelihood, hence they decided to travel back home.
The Nkawkaw Divisional Commander, Kofi Adu, explained that the police arrested a group of people in trucks from Accra and heading up north when they reached the Asakai barrier in the Eastern Region.
“We have spoken with the municipal chief executive and the regional commander. We are trying as much as possible to liaise with the Ashanti regional commander to give them an escort to reach their final destination.”
He added, “we can’t let them drop because we can’t get another vehicle to take them to their destination.”
The head porters have since been handed over to the Ashanti Regional Security Council.
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