KMA Demolishes over 700 Unauthorized Structures  at Asafo Ghetto …‘Tinker Island’ is next target

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), last Friday embarked on a major demolition exercise around the Asafo Interchange and close to the COCOBOD building and the Takoradi Flour Mill premises.

Besides passing as a haven for criminals, the affected area had become heavily congested with unauthorized structures and had generated concerns over sanitation, public safety, and other unlawful activities.

The demolition was, therefore, meant to restore the area to its intended public use and improve the overall environment within the Central Business District. The operation was personally supervised by the Mayor, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, alias King Zuba as part of the Assembly’s ongoing efforts to reclaim public spaces, improve sanitation, enhance public safety, and eliminate criminal activities associated in the said areas.

The demolition was undertaken with the backing of personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the KMA City Guards, and other security agencies to ensure a peaceful and orderly exercise.

Security personnel cordoned off the area and urged the remaining occupants to leave peacefully while vulnerable persons, including pregnant women, were assisted to safety before heavy equipment moved in to demolish the temporary structures, mostly makeshift wooden and metal structures that had occupied the space beneath the interchange.

During a previous operation, officials of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, City Guards, and security personnel who went there to execute the demolition exercise were attacked by some occupants who pelted them with stones, the reason for the reinforced demolition team for the latest exercise last Friday.

The Assembly had earlier issued notices directing all squatters occupying the unauthorized occupants to vacate the area before the scheduled date for the demolition. Individuals who claimed they had permits or authorization to occupy the site were instructed to submit all relevant documentation to the Works Department of the Assembly for verification.

The mayor reiterated the Assembly’s commitment to enforcing development planning regulations and ensuring that public lands are not unlawfully occupied. He stressed that while the Assembly remains committed to engaging residents through lawful procedures, it will not hesitate to take decisive action against unauthorized and chaotic developments that undermine the orderly growth of the city.

The mayor also commended the military, police, City Guards, and all officers who participated in the operation for their professionalism and cooperation, emphasizing that their coordinated efforts ensured a successful exercise.

The KMA boss emphasised that similar enforcement exercises will continue across the metropolis as part of broader efforts to improve urban management, promote public safety, maintain environmental sanitation, and preserve public infrastructure.

He has appealed to the residents and members of the public in general to comply with planning regulations and refrain from occupying public spaces without lawful authorization, warning that unauthorized structures erected on public lands remain liable to removal in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, the mayor has hinted that the ‘Tinker Island’, a haven for drug addicts and a notorious place for drug peddling, is KMA’s next target.

In April 2025, the Minister of Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, issued a strong directive to the Ghana Police Service and the Narcotic Control Commission to dismantle the notorious drug enclave at Alabar in Kumasi in six months.

The Interior Minister’s directive was out of growing concerns over the proliferation of drugs and its social consequences, especially among the youth.

However, a year on Tinker Island remains a ‘no go’ area and still active in drug distribution, attracting dealers and users from various parts of the city. But Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi has vowed to dismantle Tinker Island in KMA’s next major demolition exercise.

 

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