The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), has kicked against a directive by the Inspector General of Police allegedly withdrawing officers of the Police Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) from highways in the Ashanti Region.

Alexander Atibo Ayatah is particularly concerned about what he considers to be a poor enforcement of traffic laws, which has resulted in minors and unlicensed drivers overtaking roads in the Ashanti region.

According to him, his enquiries at the Police Service indicate that the officers were asked to step aside after several complaints and allegations of bribery were levelled against them.

He was speaking to Luv FM’s David Akuetteh on his observation of traffic regulations enforcement in the region. 

“The MTTD is supposed to enforce the laws but for some time now they haven’t been on our roads. I was in the region some time ago for monitoring and research, when I met with the police officers, they told me they have been told not to do any enforcement. 

“The reason I am told is because the officers are taking bribes from the motorists. The best we can do for the people of this region is to allow the Police to do their work,” said Mr. Ayatah. 

In the past year, officers from the MTTD are barely seen enforcing road traffic regulations in the Ashanti region.   

“What they are doing now is minimal visibility because they have been given the order not to enforce the law as of now. They’re supposed to be on the highway to ensure any driver who violates the traffic law is made to face the law. But what you see them doing now is that they are trying to do something similar to enforcement,” he added. 

The situation, according to Mr Ayatah, is only peculiar to the Ashanti region among the 16 regions of the country. 

The absence of the MTTD officers also saw the Chairman of the Sofoline GPRTU, Albert Boamah write to the office of the IGP in 2022 requesting Dr Akuffo Dampare to reinstate MTTD officers on the roads. 

The NRSA regional head says he observed the phenomenon when he visited the region last year to monitor road safety situations. 

“I took the report to the head office to resolve the matter. I’ve told him to rise up to bring them back. If they get the IGP to lift the ban on enforcement in the region it would help,” said Mr. Ayatah. 

Accident statistics

Road accidents in the region are on a decline with the mid-year of 2023 recording 1,619 crashes as compared to 1,791 accidents recorded in the same period in the previous year. 

The NRSA is worried the absence of the officers could escalate road crashes in the region. 

“Comparing these allegations to the number of minors and people who are driving without licenses, we cannot allow that. If you look at the various road users and the new phenomenon of tricycles on our roads, they are causing so much trouble. We could have done better in terms of our numbers but for the fact that these tricycles have no respect for the road regulations, they will not improve. This is because teenagers are now riding. We need to sit up,” said Mr Ayatah. 

He believes road crashes in the region could be minimised as was seen in previous years if the law enforcers are allowed to ensure sanity on the roads.