More than 50 shop owners in Awoshie Been-To, located along the N1 highway, are facing significant losses following the demolition of their shops by the Ablekuma North Municipal Assembly.
The assembly asserts that the demolition was essential to avert potential accidents, citing the illegal construction of the shops on land beneath high-tension cables as a safety hazard.
Voicing their dissatisfaction to Citi News in Accra on Friday, several impacted shop owners reproached the assembly for not giving sufficient advance notice before executing the demolition.
One shop owner told Citi News, ” Regrettably, there’s nothing to do to rectify the situation at present. My belongings have been destroyed, as I was unable to retrieve them from the shop before the demolition commenced at dawn.”
“We’ve consistently made payments to the chiefs for the land, so the sudden turn of events is confusing.”
Another indicated that “I sell canopies here so my worker called me that the demolition was ongoing around 2 am and we came too it was true. I have my shop here and that is what I use in catering for the family. They did not give us any reason. They did not even greet us. They only came in and started demolition…They are only giving us pressure so something must be done about it.”
“…I will still be here. I won’t go anywhere. The next time you come, you will meet me here.”
