Some aggrieved members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) stormed the Kwame Nkrumah Circle on Monday to lock up shops belonging to foreign traders.
Aggrieved Ghanaian traders storm Circle; lock up over 600 Nigerian shops
The Ghanaian traders said although Section 27 (1) of the GIPC Act bars foreigners from doing retail business, it is not being enforced.
According to a report by Citi Newsroom, hundreds of shops were closed down, over 600 of which belonged to Nigerians.
“We are trying to enforce the GIPC law because we have seen that, the leaders of the country will not enforce it. So we have to enforce it ourselves. We have been in this thing for twenty years and they are killing our market,” a member of GUTA is quoted as saying.
Another aggrieved Ghanaian trader added: “Nigeria has closed their border when we are all members of ECOWAS. It’s because they have their domestic laws. And their local laws come before the ECOWAS law. They don’t have a case there because you can never ascend to an international which goes against your local law.”
Monday’s chaos, however, led to three people getting injured while another six were arrested for their roles in the confusion.
The Nima Divisional Police Commander, ACP Abraham Acquaye, said some traders tried to attack his men who were at the scene to restore calm.
The Police Chief said the traders who were arrested pelted the police with objects, adding that investigations are currently ongoing into the matter
