Nii Armah Ashiboi has said the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority’s (GPHA) statement on the death of two fishermen at Tema Newtown is a cover-up.
Nii Ashiboi, who is a family head on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, said the GPHA’s statement does not tell the truth about the incident.
“There is a cover-up because nobody has gone fishing since the closed season. GPHA knows what they have done. The patrol team saw the canoe and drove at top speed, placed high lights to blind the fishermen so they couldn’t see them and crashed into the canoe and afterwards sped off. So if there was indeed no wrong done, why didn’t they engage or stop to see what had happened after the accident?” he questioned.
Two fishermen out of 12 who were asked to go fishing by traditional authorities for an annual ritual were reported dead at Tema Newtown on Thursday dawn.
While they were on the sea, some naval officers on patrol at the time reportedly crashed their vessel into their canoe without provocation over claims they were intruders after spotting them.
The surviving fishermen said the canoe overturned as a result of the hit, pushing the occupants into the sea.
GPHA, however, denied the reports, stating the harbour patrols only seized the fishing net of those who were arrested.
Confirming an arrest was made, Nii Ashiboi indicated those were not part of the people who went on the ritual fishing.
“GPHA told us they were going to dredge the fishing harbour so most of the people moved their canoes to Prampram, Kpone and only a few were parked at the harbour. So even if a canoe is going to the sea, won’t it pass through the entrance?” he stated.
Despite their misgivings about the incident and GPHA’s posture, Nii Ashiboi indicated they will wait for the committee’s report.
He further charged the Fisheries Ministery to, if possible, revise the dates for the closed season to avert such an accident in the future.
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 statement on the death of two fishermen at Tema Newtown is a cover-up.){kind=link}