Security in the Agona East District has reached a breaking point following a brazen robbery on Thursday, 5th March 2026, which left a local official hospitalised with a gunshot wound.

Ishmael Odoom, the Assembly Member for the Agona Asafo Electoral Area, was caught in the crossfire when armed assailants descended on the community at approximately 5:00 p.m., turning a busy evening into a scene of panic.

The attackers targeted shops, vendors, and unsuspecting bystanders, firing sporadic shots to clear the streets while looting unspecified sums of cash. Mr. Odoom, who was in the vicinity during the raid, was struck by a stray bullet.

The injured assembly member was immediately rushed to the Agona Swedru Government Hospital for emergency stabilisation. Given the severity of the injury, he was subsequently referred to the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital for advanced surgical care.

The brazenness of the attack has reignited fears regarding the deteriorating safety of the district. Abeiku Ansah, a former assembly member for Agona Asafo, noted that this is not an isolated event, pointing to a "growing wave of insecurity" in the area.

“Similar incidents had occurred in recent times,” Ansah remarked, urging the Ghana Police Service to break the cycle of violence by “intensifying patrols along the Agona Swedru–Asafo road to help curb criminal activities in the area.”

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Agona East, Samuel Oscar Mensah, visited the community hours after the attack to assess the extent of the trauma and property loss. In his address to the shaken residents, the DCE pushed for a collaborative approach to community safety, urging local business owners to upgrade their security infrastructure.

“The District Security Council would adopt strategies aimed at strengthening security and preventing similar incidents in the area,” Mensah assured the public. He advised shop owners to “adopt additional security measures, including the installation of CCTV cameras, to help monitor activities around their businesses.”

As the community of Agona Asafo waits for news on Mr. Odoom’s recovery, the demand for a permanent police presence along the district's main arterial roads has become the primary focus of local advocacy.