An unexpected dawn demolition on Monday, September 8, has left traders at Krofrom Colombia in Kumasi in shock after dozens of shops were flattened around 2:00 a.m. Eyewitnesses described the operation as swift and ruthless, with personal belongings and goods destroyed as owners scrambled to salvage what they could. While many traders insist they received no official notice, others admitted to hearing unverified claims that the land had been sold.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has strongly denied any involvement in the exercise. According to KMA’s Public Relations Officer, Henrietta Afia Konadu Aboagye, although a private developer had been granted a building permit for the site, the proper legal process for demolition was not followed. She stressed that the perpetrators were not acting on behalf of the Assembly and advised affected traders to formally lodge complaints for redress and possible compensation.
For now, the affected traders are left to grapple with the sudden loss of property and livelihoods, as the central question remains unanswered: who authorized the demolition and will anyone be held accountable?
