Dozens of traders at Krofrom, Colombia, in the Kumasi Metropolis have been left stranded after an unauthorized demolition exercise carried out at dawn on Monday, September 8, 2025.
Eyewitnesses reported that the operation, undertaken by unidentified individuals around 2:00 a.m., destroyed several shops along with goods and personal belongings.
“Around 2:00 a.m., we were woken up by loud noises and saw them pulling down the shops, destroying our belongings and goods,” one affected trader recounted to reporters at the scene.
Many traders expressed frustration, saying they had not been served any formal notice, although some admitted they had received verbal warnings two weeks earlier from unknown persons who claimed the land had been sold.
“They didn’t give us any official notice; if they had, we would have packed out,” one trader said.
“They only came two weeks ago to say someone had bought the land and gave us two weeks to leave, but we were waiting for an official letter,” another added.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has since distanced itself from the exercise, stressing that it had no hand in the demolition.
“Let me state clearly that KMA is not behind the demolition. We have no knowledge of what happened. The honourable member for the area drew our attention, so I checked with the Special Planning and Works Department. What we know is that the landowner applied for a permit to put up a structure, and that permit was granted. But by law, if he finds other occupants on the land, he is required to revert to the Assembly for a demolition permit. That was not done,” KMA’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Henrietta Afia Konadu Aboagye, explained.
She further stressed that if those behind the demolition claimed to be acting on behalf of KMA, then they were impersonating.
“If the perpetrators claim to be KMA staff, they are not. The unit in charge and the officers who would normally be assigned for such an exercise were not involved. We did not authorize them, and we do not know them.”
The Assembly has assured that it will intervene if the affected traders formally file a case against the private developer.
“You don’t use your strength to destroy people’s wares like that — it is wrong. The traders here can come together, lodge a formal complaint with the Assembly, and we will invite the developer for discussions. If damage was caused, then compensation can be arranged,” the PRO advised.
