Jan 14, 2019

Western Togoland: Two Killed as Police Clashes with Youth


Police and military personnel entered the community of Alavanyo Dzogbedze to conduct unannounced arrests. After detaining two people, the youth of the community reacted and managed to rescue them. The officers, while starting their vehicles, allegedly shot in the crowd of hooting people killing two and injuring six others.

The article below was published by Citi Newsroom:

A joint force of police and military personnel have shot and killed two young men in Alavanyo Dzogbedze, and injured a couple more people.

According to one Sena, an eyewitness, the police had earlier gone to Alavanyo Dzogbedze to effect some arrests, an act the community’s youth did not take kindly to, and managed to rescue the two who were arrested from the police, and even made away with some handcuffs.

According to the linguist of the town, Tsiami Komla Doyi, the police under the leadership of ASP Asifri later reported the situation to the Chief of Dzogbedze, Togbe Petekuatsi V, who expressed displeasure at the Police’s entry into his community to effect arrests without his knowledge, knowing the volatile nature of the area. He thus promised to help the police find their belongings.

Tsiami Komla Doyi told CitiNews that a reinforced Joint Police-Military force under the leadership of ASP Asifri who is in charge of the Alavanyo Nkunya Peace Keeping unit stationed in Nkunya, returned to Alavanyo Dzogbefe to meet with the chief, but rejected seats offered to him and his men.

Tsiami Doyi said the police complained about the conduct of the towns folk who were hooting at them.

Tsiami Doyi further intimated that the officers, while starting their vehicles shot into the crowd, and killed one Atta Kofi, a native of Alavanyo, and one Confidence who is said to be a native of Anfoe Wodemaxe.

Six more people are reported to have sustained various degrees of injury and are currently receiving treatment in Kpando.

“It is the Peace Keepers who were sent to protect us that have shot and killed two of our children and injured many more” Tsiami Komla Doy lamented.

 

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons