Armed secessionists in the Volta region of Ghana have attacked police stations, looted armoury and freed detainees.
In a surprise attack at dawn today, the gunmen, campaigning for the independence of Western Togoland, stormed the police stations at Mepe and Aveyime-Bator, two communities in the Volta region.
“They stripped the police officers on duty naked, took their weapons, and locked them in the cells before breaking into the armory,” the local government representative for the area, Ahorsu Amos Borlor, told Xinhua over the telephone.
The invaders freed the inmates of the police cells, made away with computers, printers, and wall fans at the police stations, he said.
Along the Accra-Akosombo highway, north-east of the capital, the invaders also set up barricades and set used vehicle tires ablaze, stranding travellers.
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They have also hoisted flags of the so-called “Western Togoland,” said some commuters who called into radio stations in the capital.
The invasion triggered a heavy security response from the Ghanaian authorities.
The dawn attack informed heavy security deployment in parts of Ghana as the country launched an operation on Friday to foil alleged secessionist attempts.
The Ghana Police Service cautioned commuters traveling from Accra to some communities in the Volta and Eastern regions of security operations in these areas that had come under attack from unidentified gunmen.
Commuters to these areas should exercise caution as they are likely to experience heavy vehicular traffic due to security operations,” the police service said on its official Facebook page.
The “Western Togoland Study Group” has called for dialogue with the Ghanaian government over the status of the Volta region.
Friday’s incident was believed to be the first act of radicalization of their demands.
By Friday night, government announced the arrest of 29 ‘Western Togolander’s.
They were airlifted to Accra for questioning.
