Alabar residents call for improved security despite police assurance

Residents in Alabar in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, have called for increased security following a daylight robbery which left one dead and others injured last Friday.

The appeal comes after police in the region assured the residents of adequate protection against violent crimes.

Despite the police assurance, the residents say they are still traumatised and gripped in fear.

“We are living in fear because of what happened. This is the first time we are seeing this type of thing, a resident, Hussain Hassan, said.

“Since the incident happened, we the people living here have been traumatized, and we have not been in our normal mood,” another resident, Idris Hassan told Accra-based Citi FM.

The alabar is one of the biggest commercial centers in Kumasi.

Traders in the area engage in a number of businesses, including what is known as the black market foreign exchange business.

Despite its illegality, the business has gained notoriety in parts of Ghana, including Alabar.

Due to this business, traders in the area keep huge sums of monies on a daily basis.

The residents believe the forex business in the area could bring another such robbery in the future.

They want security agencies to respond swiftly to emergency calls to prevent such occurrences in the near future.

“It is not our wish that such a thing will happen again. But in case it happens, we want the police to respond swiftly. It is not good that when you call, there is no response,” Abdul Aziz, another trader at Alabar, stated.

For Jibril Salifu, he wants security in the area enhanced since they have become a target due to the foreign exchange activities they engage in.

“Even though this is over, a similar attack is likely to happen. This is because the robbers know the people with the money and that’s why they came.

“The people making the money transfer are the ones with the money. The security service must come to their aid if not, they will return”, he explained.

Meanwhile, police in the region have arrested three of the robbers who were involved in Friday’s attack.

The 54-year-old onion seller, Nuhu Fuseini, who was killed, has been buried in accordance with Islamic tradition.