Tension brews Mepe over intended shutdown of Police Station

A call has been made to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately use his presidential power to stop the shut down of a newly built police station at Mepe township in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.

The Police Station, the only one serving a wide area including other towns in the Mafi Traditional Area in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region, was one of the security installations attacked by the Western Togoland terrorist group in September 2020.

The Mepe Development Association(MDA), Chiefs, prominent citizens and youth of the  Mepe Traditional Area have made a passionate appeal to the government to carefully reconsider its decision if what they have picked up from their very reliable intelligence sources are indeed true. 

They also called on the new acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Akufo Danpare to use his good offices to intervene in the situation to maintain the Police Station in the traditional area instead of closing it down. 

They stated that they have provided a lot of assistance in establishing the Police Station in the traditional area and are prepared to provide whatever help to maintain the security installation in the area because of the vital role it is playing in safeguarding security, peace and development and enabling citizens to go about their normal duties without fear. 

Soireenews has learnt that the reason for wanting to close down the station is to avoid it from possibly being attacked again by the aggrieved thugs of the  Western Togoland successionist group.

If this is true, this must fly against commonsense, as the Mepe Police Station should rather be reinforced with additional personnel and equipment to meet any threats to the security of citizens and the state. 

It would be recalled that on Sunday, September 25, 2020, some armed men reportedly attacked the Sogakope Police Station, the Divisional Command in the Central Tongu District and Aveyime District Police Command and Mepe Police Stations in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.

They forcibly took over all three police stations simultaneously, overpowered the police officers on duty, broke into the armouries, locked the police personnel on duty and made away with a lot of weapons. 

According to sources, the intended move by the government would rather jeopardise the security of a large area of the Southern Volta Region rather than enhance it. 

"Why would the government or the Police Administration want to close down the Mepe Police Station for being attacked by the Western Togoland successionist group,  just like the Sogakope and Aveyine District Police stations which are of higher ranks,  were also equally subjected to the same attack by the successionist group? the sources queried.

In preparing to close down the Mepe Police Station, it has been prevented from admitting complaints of citizens who are asked to go to Aveyime, the District Police Command, which is several kilometres away from Mepe. 

The MDA, Chiefs and citizens of the Mepe Traditional Area and those of the surrounding towns and villages of the Mafi Traditional Area such as Dove where a heinous crime of murder was committed recently, expressed deep concern at this rather unfortunate development and have urged the Akufo-Addo government and the Police Administration to maintain the Police Station to serve its useful purpose in the communities.

Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu, Accra