Six leaders of the Nima youth in Accra who defied police orders and staged a demonstration to demand the completion of work on the main drainage there have been arrested by the police.

The six, according to the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohunu, will be put before court, and tried for acts that disturb the peace and violate the Public Order Act.

He said even though the police had indicated their willingness to provide the demonstrators with protection, the group took the law into own hands and staged the demonstration without police permission. 

Youth of the Ayawaso East and West constituencies in Accra, Monday defied a police order banning them from embarking on a protest march.

The police earlier ordered that the planned demonstration be put on hold because they [youth] did not have the permit to do so.

But the youth Monday morning defied the police order and staged the demonstration setting fire to used lorry tyres on pedestrian walkways on the Kanda and Obasanjo Highway.

The youth said, a drainage project started in 2011 had been abandoned. They, therefore, decided to draw attention to the stalled project by staging the demonstration.

Joy News' Joseph Opoku-Gakpo, who joined the demonstrators, said a scuffle broke out between the police and the demonstrators when the police tried to stop the demonstration.

A number of demonstrators were injured in the process, he stated.

The police later backed down on their attempt to stop the street march.

Police Spokesperson, DSP Freeman Tettey, said the police did not want to exacerbate tensions by stoking.

He however insisted that the leaders of the defiant youth will be prosecuted. 

Some of the demonstrators carried which read, "Who chop gutter money," "We deserve better."