Koforidua: Six arrested for defying China Mall stop-work order
Six people have been arrested after a joint security operation at the controversial China Mall construction site in Koforidua, where developers allegedly defied a stop-work order issued by the Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC).
Personnel from the National Security, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service carried out the operation at the construction site located near Kenkey Factory, following reports that work had resumed despite directives to halt all activities.
Security officials have since declared the site a restricted area and warned that anyone found loitering around the premises could be arrested.
The latest action comes weeks after Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey ordered work on the project to stop amid concerns over flooding risks and the developers’ failure to comply with conditions set by REGSEC.
According to security sources, officers first raided the site during a heavy downpour on Friday night and arrested a security guard who was the only person found on the premises at the time.
The operation resumed on Saturday when the joint security team returned to the site and arrested six workers allegedly engaged in construction activities in violation of the stop-work order. Other workers reportedly fled into nearby bushes upon seeing the security personnel.
Officials said the Chinese developers locked themselves inside one of the rooms at the site and refused to come out during the operation.
The dispute centres on concerns that the China Mall project is being developed on a riparian zone that previously served as a channel for large volumes of runoff from the Nsukwao stream and other waterways in the area.
Residents and motorists have complained that flooding in the area has worsened since construction began.
Authorities say the developers had previously agreed with REGSEC and the municipal assembly to reconstruct a drainage system near the traffic-light intersection to improve water flow and reduce flooding. Under the agreement, construction was to remain suspended until the drainage works were completed.
However, the developers are alleged to have resumed construction after engaging the Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Kwaku Boateng III, to intervene on their behalf.
Speaking after the operation, Eastern Regional National Security Coordinator Francis Annoh-Dompreh criticised what he described as the developers’ disregard for lawful directives.
He warned that security agencies would not allow any individual or company, regardless of nationality, to undertake activities that threaten public safety.
Annoh-Dompreh also cautioned Ghanaian labourers against returning to the site, warning that anyone found working there in defiance of the stop-work order would face arrest.
The construction site remains under security watch as authorities enforce the suspension order.
