The police have fired tear gas and warning shots at the Agbogbloshie Market in what they said is a move to rid the area of hoodlums.

The Operation’s Commander, DSP Kwesi Ofori, told JoyNews that the crowd controlling strategies implemented were necessitated due to some “criminal elements” who tried to disrupt normal business in the area.

He said the joint security task force was sent to the Market to ensure peace and protect the traders and their belongings from thieves.

"It is a peaceful exercise that has been discussed and planned regarding the evacuation of onion traders from Agbogbloshie to Adjen Kotoku.

"The market women have fully cooperated and they are not even here currently, because they are even setting up at Adjen Kotoku. But it is some criminal elements that want to take advantage of the situation to mar the operation.

"You can see the security forces taking every step to protect the traders wherever they are. Some groups of criminals have intended to burn and disrupt their businesses and cause mayhem," he said.

Today is the deadline Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, gave onion traders to vacate the Agbogbloshie Market after over 20 years of plying their trade there.

The onion sellers are to move from Agbogbloshie Market to the Adjen Kotoku Market Square.

This forms part of the Minister's decongestion exercise dubbed 'Let's Make Accra Work.'

The traders have protested the directive saying the new place is too small and can't accommodate all of them.

Some aggrieved persons, according to reports, destroyed the offices of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and started burning tires in protest. The joint security task force then moved in.

According to DSP Kwesi Ofori, "we are taking measures to protect them. All that we are doing is to safeguard our women, children, the aged and the traders here.

"You might have noticed the setting up of fire, throwing of missiles and so forth, in the open market, and it takes the responsibility of the security task force to protect the people, and that is what we are doing," he told JoyNews.