The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has threatened to continue cracking down on tricycle riders in Kumasi’s core business district.
On July 25, the KMA began implementing its ban on tricycles, also known as aboboya, and was met with vehement opposition from operators.
On August 1, more than ten rebellious operators were arrested, infuriating other operators and resulting in a brawl between the metropolitan police and operators.
Randy Wilson, the Assembly’s head of transportation, stated on Eyewitness News on Citi FM that the Assembly is committed to halting the activities of tricycle operators, which he claims are hampering commercial activity in the central business area.
“The exercise is not stopping anytime soon, and the security apparatus is rather beefing up its activities because we have intelligence that the tricycle operators are planning to mass up tomorrow to fight the authorities,” he said.
Wilson further indicated that the seized tricycles will not be returned to their owners, as they may be used as evidence in court proceedings.
“No decision has been made on the release of the tricycles because some of them will be used as evidence in court, and so we are still waiting for instructions from the mayor and coordinating director as to what to do next. In the meantime, we still have the tricycles,” he said.
Six police officers were injured in a skirmish between the police and tricycle operators on Tuesday.
