The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), has arrested and handed over three persons to the Suame District Police Command for alleged extortion.
The three; were allegedly extorting monies from traders who are to be relocated to the Race Course Market on Monday, 6th November.
The two men and a woman were among 10 persons registering affected traders in the relocation exercise.
The Assembly on Tuesday announced it would relocate traders and drivers in the Central Business District of Adum, Kejetia, Pampaso, S.A.T and Dr. Mensah to Race Course and Abinkyi markets.
The relocation exercise is to pave way for the contractors working on first phase of the Kejetia Redevelopment Project, to have access to the roads around the project and upgrade them.
The exercise is also to help ease the heavy vehicular and human congestion, and to also pave way for some rituals to be performed as part of activities marking the final funeral rites of the Late Queen mother of Asanteman, Nana Afia Serwaa Kobi Ampem, who passed on in 2016.
Speaking on the arrest, Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, Godwin Okumah Nyame, explained that, they picked reports about some persons registering traders and extorting monies from them under the pretext of allocating special space for them to carry out their trade.
He said the Assembly subsequently sent officials there and chanced on 10 people registering traders.
According to him, three of them were arrested, whilst the rest escaped.
He revealed that, the three suspects who were neither staff nor assembly members of the KMA, had in their possession sheets with names and telephone numbers of traders at the time of the arrest.
The three are currently in custody and will assist police in their investigations.
Mr. Nyame maintained that, the Assembly is not charging any fee for the relocation exercise, and asked traders and drivers to report any staff or Assembly member who tries to extort monies from them with a promise of securing them space at Race Course of Abinkyi markets.
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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana