TRAFFIC OFFICER ATTACKED (PAGE 29, NOV 26)

THE MANAGEMENT of Umarib Ghana Limited, a company set up to help enforce road traffic regulations in the Tamale Metropolis has expressed concern about an alleged attack on one of its taskforce members while discharging his duties in the metropolis.
The management condemned such acts of lawlessness saying it had the tendency of discouraging young men who wanted to complement the efforts of the police in maintaining discipline on the streets of Tamale.
The Director of the company, Mr Adnan Bawa, and its Operational Commander, warrant officer Alhaji Issah Mumuni retd told the Daily Graphic that the victim, Seidu Abukari was among a number of taskforce members that were detailed by the company to arrest vehicle owners that parked wrongly around the U-turn near the Victory Cinema area and other parts of the metroplis.
They explained that already the company had received several complaints from taxi drivers around the Victory Cinema area about the refusal of some of their colleagues to load within the Victory Station, in their bid to evade tax
“Based on that information our boys were detailed to bring sanity to that area; they arrested a couple of them to discourage them from loading around the U-turn”, the managers pointed out.
According to them however, on November 9, 2009, a task force member arrested a taxi driver who allegedly parked around the U-turn, to pick passengers.
They claimed the driver of the vehicle with registration number GR 6722 X pleaded to be allowed to drop the passengers to which the member of the task force agreed but on reaching the Aboabu forest area, the driver allegedly stopped and asked the victim to get down.
The driver reportedly called someone on his cellphone and within a few minutes after the driver’s colleagues, appeared on the scene they allegedly attacked the victim and injured him in the head .
He was then rushed to the Tamale West Hospital where he was treated.
The management claimed the matter had been reported to the police.
Meanwhile the police have arrested two persons who are currently on police enquiry bail. According to the management the company was established in 1998 to, among other things, help reduce unemployment and accidents in the metropolis as well as to help raise enough revenue for the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly.