A customs officer identified as Daniel Adjei and his accomplice John Annan have been arrested by the Akuapem South Municipal Security Council for the unlawful demolition of a public toilet at Asuafum a suburb of Aburi in the Eastern region.
The 12-seater KVIP facility has been a vital resource for the residents in the area.
The suspects accompanied by armed land guards stormed the community with bulldozers on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, to demolish the toilet facility creating tension as residents became furious prompting intervention by official security.
According to reports, the Customs officer claimed he purchased the land where the public facility was located two years ago.
“The customs officer and land guards stormed the community to demolish the toilet facility built by the assembly. The residents attempted to resist them but the land guards were armed with guns and other dangerous weapons, so the residents couldn’t make progress to stop them.
“However, they were happy the security intervened to arrest them,” the Assembly member for the Aburi West electoral area, Daniel Asiamah told the media.
The suspects have been handed over to the Eastern Regional Police Command to assist in the investigation.
Since many homes in the neighbourhood lack toilets, the community has been served by the now-demolished facility, the only public restroom for many years.
There is concern that if a new toilet facility is not created right away, open defecation may become the order of the day with a possible cholera outbreak in the community.