The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association has expressed displeasure at the arrest of its Co-Chairman, Mr Clement Boateng.
In a press statement signed by Nana Osei Sarkodie, the General Secretary of the association, it said Mr Clement Boateng was manhandled and detained by the police on Tuesday.
“We, the Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association express and register our displeasure with the unprofessional and prejudicial arrest, detention harassment and manhandling of our Co-Chairman, Mr. Clement Boateng on June 25, 2019, by a section of malicious intended personnel of the Greater Accra Regional Police Service.”
According to the association, the Chairman did nothing wrong.
They are therefore calling on the Interior Minister and the IGP to reprimand the actions of the police.
The association has also promised not to back down on their resolve to ensure the application of the GIPC Act 865 clause 27(1) which bans foreigners from engaging in retail business in Ghana.
The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association last week gave the government a two-week ultimatum to stop the foreigners from competing with locals in the retail business space.
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act bars foreigners from engaging in the retail business.
The association said it would take several actions to implement the act by itself should the government refuse to act within the two-week period.
A number of Nigerian traders left Suame Magazine after over 50 of their shops were closed down for engaging in retail trade contrary to Ghanaian laws.
According to Section 27 (1) of the GIPC Act, a person who is not a citizen or an enterprise which is not wholly owned by a citizen shall not invest or participate in the sale of goods or provision of services in a market, petty trading or hawking or selling of goods in a stall at any place.
The tensions also follow concerns over a growing anti-Nigeria sentiment in Ghana because of the involvement of some of its nationals in high profile crimes.
