An elderly woman collapsed in shock after the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) demolished her shop as part of a major decongestion exercise around the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
Videos from the scene show the woman lying motionless on the ground, surrounded by security personnel and onlookers, as bystanders rushed to attend to her following the demolition.
The exercise, which took place on Thursday, July 31, followed a final notice issued by the KMA requiring all traders with unauthorised structures around the stadium to voluntarily remove them by Wednesday, July 30, or face forced demolition.
The KMA had warned that failure to comply would result in a massive decongestion exercise carried out jointly with its security taskforce.
The Assembly has repeatedly pushed back the deadline for this clean-up over the past year following appeals from traditional and regional authorities, insisting each time that the exercise, aimed at restoring order, sanitation, and the aesthetic value of the stadium enclave, remained non-negotiable.
While the KMA maintains the demolitions are necessary to enforce building regulations and improve public safety around the stadium, scenes like the elderly trader’s collapse highlight the human cost often borne by informal traders during such enforcement actions.
Watch the video HERE.
