Some traders at Adum PZ in Kumasi are persisting in their protest against the decision to evacuate them for a decongestion exercise.

The planned exercise is aimed at creating a clear pathway for emergency cases, but the traders remain strongly opposed to it.

During their demonstration, traders chanted “Free the youth” and carried placards with inscriptions such as “Asantehene, we need you,” “Why are you not talking, Captain Smart?” “Government, we need your help,” and “Lack of jobs,” among others.

They are appealing to the Asantehene, the custodian of the land, to intervene and grant them the right to retain their trading spaces.

Speaking to JoyNews, one trader passionately pleaded: “We beg, we have no one. This is what I do to fend for my family… Should they resort to robbery to survive? We plead with Asantehene to come to our aid. Help give our land back to us. We can even carry out our own decongestion exercise.”

In a dramatic display of their plea, the traders knelt in unison, emphasising their demands and seeking urgent intervention.

The backdrop to this protest is the devastating fire that broke out in the early hours of Friday, 21 March, in the Adum area of the Ashanti Region. The blaze led to the destruction of numerous shops and properties, leaving many traders in distress.

Following the incident, traders and shop owners around the Blue Light Arena at Adum have been directed to evacuate to make way for the construction of a lorry pathway.

However, affected traders insist that alternative solutions should be explored rather than their outright displacement.