The Metropolitan Chief Executive of Accra, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije is reported to have on Monday, ordered his bodyguard to shoot the tyres of a wine-coloured Pontiac Vibe car which he claimed was tailgating his convoy but he has denied the allegations.
The incident is said to have taken place in front of the Mantse Agbonaa Park in Jamestown, Accra, in broad daylight.
[contextly_sidebar id=”5eXPhzKeIsZScLAWxL8RaFKRXkhqdPQR”]According to a Daily Guide publication, the Accra Mayor and his siren-blaring convoy were driving from the lavender Hill area on the old Winneba road at Korle Gonno to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) headquarters when they accosted the driver.
Eyewitnesses at the scene narrated that midway through the journey; Mr Vanderpuije stopped the driver of the vehicle, one Lawyer Bruce Thompson.
The AMA boss’ bodyguard subsequently opened fire and shot the tires of the lawyer’s vehicle on the orders of his boss to deflate the car tyres.
Mr Vanderpuije then allegedly pulled the lawyer from his vehicle and threw him onto the ground.
Lawyer Thompson who was infuriated by the shooting incident is said to have confronted the Police Corporal and threatened to deal with him.
The Policeman purportedly seized Lawyer Thompson’s car keys which forced him the latter to join a taxi cab to get to his destination.
According to the publication, the Mayor did not respond to calls by the newspaper for his side of the story.
But on an Accra based Joy FM, Mr. Vanderpuije said he did not order the shooting.
He narrated his version of the story saying, “there was a driver who was tailgating and I asked him [Police Officer] to tell the driver not to do so…and my vehicle had moved on.”
“I was in my vehicle with my Coordinating Director having a discussion on city issues but for a minute, I asked myself why the officer has taken so long. The traffic was moving and we had to move,” he said.
The Mayor continued his narration saying, “when I looked back, I realized that there was a squabble between my officer and the driver. I wasn’t even at the scene and I hadn’t ordered him to shoot or anything so whatever led to his shooting will be investigated because it is a Police matter.”
“But to say that I had ordered by officer to choose and came out of the car, I had moved away a long distance. I was never even at the scene.”
In a video footage released in November 2014, the Mayor was seen manhandling a commercial bus driver who honked at a crowd cleaning up the street, supposedly asking for them to move out of his way.
The Mayor was angered by the driver’s act especially when they were attempting to make the city cleaner.
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan