Kwadaso onion market demolition: Watch as traders clash with officials of REGSEC

There was commotion on Monday, April 22, 2024, at the Kwadaso Onion Market, a well-known market in the Ashanti Region, during a demolition exercise by officials of the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC).

Some traders stood in the way of the REGSEC officials to prevent them from demolishing their structures which were still filled with their goods.

The REGSEC officials, who were accompanied by some officials of the Ghana Police Service, could be seen in a video shared by Accra-based UTV, facing off with some of the traders who were standing in their way.

“… we’re foreigners, we don’t vote; come and kill us for us to move,” one furious woman who was standing her ground could be heard saying in Twi.

“Today is a market day, wait for us to finish selling our goods before you come and do your demolition,” another man could be heard saying.

Some of the traders could be seen standing near their structures as the REGSEC officials bulldozed them with a crawler.

Personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces were later deployed to the market as the situation was getting intense.

The Ashanti Regional Security Council gave traders at the Kwadaso Onion Market near the Sofoline interchange an ultimatum to relocate to the new site at Atwima Takyiman by midnight of April 23, 2024.

According to a news report by otecfmghana.com, REGSEC informed the traders that the demolition of the old market will begin on April 22, 2024.

The report indicated that this notification was contained in a press release issued by REGSEC, in collaboration with Kwadaso Municipal Security Committee (KMUSEC) on April 3, 2024, which was signed by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, who is also the chairman of the Ashanti Regional Security Council.

REGSEC in the release said the decision is to avoid unnecessary traffic in the area, especially during peak hours caused by the parking of the heavy articulated trucks by the roadsides.

“The parking of the heavy articulated trucks along the roadsides also imposes serious security risk for motorists, pedestrians and all other road users, including the traders themselves.

“Last week there was an unfortunate incident but for the speedy intervention of the traders themselves who hired a crane to support an articulated truck loaded with onions, the vehicle would have turned over,” the release said.

Watch a video of the clash below:

Tension mounts as police and military presence intensifies during REGSEC's demolition of Kwadaso Onion Market#UTVNews pic.twitter.com/dnVQL1NaAe

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) April 22, 2024