The Chiefs and Elders of Gomoa Fetteh in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region; custodians of Gomoa Buduburam land have risen with much concern over the increasing rate of crime in Budumburam-Liberia Camp and called on government to take urgent steps to demolish the ‘ghetto’.
They described Budumburam (Liberia Camp) as a den of criminal activities.
Nana Kwesi Duodu, Stool Secretary who read the Press Statement on behalf of the Chief and Elders during a Press Conference in Gomoa Fetteh, indicated that, the traditional authority is concerned about the constant criminal activities involving some inhabitants in the area.
He said, they want government to consider demolishing the area which has become a hideout for criminals.
According to him, the increasing rate of crime amid armed robbery, prostitution and killings cannot be countenanced anymore hence, have given government a three month ultimatum to demolish the area.
He noted that the Buduburam enclave used to host mainly Liberians who sought asylum in Ghana during the unrest in that country.
However, the place is now hosting other foreign nationals from Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and some Ghanaians which increase crime rates in the area.
Nana Kwesi Duodu said, several calls have been made by traditional leaders for the enclave to be demolished because it is believed to be contributing to the high crime rate within the Kasoa area and its environs, but nothing has been done, although the Kasoa Divisional Police Command has made several swoops in the area with the recent one being the arrest of over 300 suspected criminals mostly Nigerians inside the camp.
He urged the government to consider demolishing the Buduburam camp to raid the area of criminal elements.
In a separate interview with the Omanhene of Gomoa Fetteh, Nana Abor Atta II, several criminal activities including armed robbery, prostitution, the sale of narcotic drugs among others, are on the ascendency at the camp.
He said: “The government must demolish the Buduburam camp so that it could be used for other things. We are pleading with Nana Akufo-Addo to help us in that direction. What happens there does not speak well of Gomoa Fetteh.”
He believes that getting rid of the place will help reduce crime in the Gomoa Buduburam area as well as Kasoa.
“We offer our unflinching support to the government of Ghana to take the necessary and lawful action to weed out the haven of criminals in Buduburam. The enclave has a bad tag, and this is preventing potential investors who have intentions of settling and working in Buduburam,” Nana Abor Attah said.
Also, the Omankrado of Gomoa Fetteh, Nana Kwesi Quansah averred that the traditional council is giving the government three months to demolish the enclave.
According to him, the traditional leaders of Gomoa Fetteh are ready to offer the place for markets, a lorry park, community center and schools, stressing that the place will best suitable for these facilities than to be kept as a hideout and breading point for criminals.
“The place can be used by the government for social amenities like market centres, schools, hospitals among others which will improve economic activities in the area. We are giving the government three months to demolish structures in the camp”, Nana Kwesi Quansah said.
He urged government to give them the go-ahead to demolish structures inside the camp if they are not ready after the three-month period.
“We are ready to embark on the demolition if the government is not ready by the three months period we have given to them,” he maintained.
He maintained that activities Budumburam are tarnishing the image of the people of Gomoa and every action must be taken to ensure that Budumburam is pulled down.
The Buduburam Camp became the home of Liberian refugees in the 1990’s.
It was opened by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The camp was home to some 12,000 refugees during the first Liberian Civil War from 1999 to 2003.
In April 2007, the UNHCR began pulling out of the camp slowly withdrawing all UNHCR services making way for the official cessation of the refugee status for refugees and in 1997, Liberia held peaceful elections, and the United Nations decided to send the refugees back home since there was peace in the once volatile area.
-PROSPER AGEBNYEGA