Residents of Akyem Oda in the Birim Central Municipality of the Eastern Region have expressed their frustrations at the increasing number of mentally challenged people invading the streets.

They suspect the mentally unwell people are being dumped into the town at dawn by individuals and institutions outside the region.

Some residents told Metro News the mentally challenged people roaming on the streets are not indigenes of Akyem Oda and they suspect foul play.

According to them, some unidentified psychiatric hospitals in the Greater Accra Region are using the municipal capital as a dumping site and made it a habit to transport mentally challenged patients into the town at dawn.

Some drivers who work at dawn in Akyem Oda backed their accusations.

They alleged that they have been seeing some container vehicles that come to the town and stop at vantage points to drop those mad people into the town but they couldn’t identify those vehicles with their registration numbers.

They called on the municipal assembly, chiefs, and all other relevant authorities to as a matter of urgency halt those activities which is causing danger to their lives, especially school children who walk along the road to their various schools.

The Krontihene of Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Obrempong Gyamfi Saforokyere II, also added his voice to the issue.

He said the soaring number of mad people in Akyem Oda has been a challenge to the chiefs and it is also tarnishing the image of the town.

Obrempong Gyamfi Saforokyere II urged the Birim Central Municipal Assembly to rise to the occasion and make the crisis a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive for Birim Central Municipal Assembly, Mrs. Victoria Adu has admitted to the surge in rough sleepers and mad people on the streets of Oda.

She corroborated accusations of the residents that the mentally challenged people are not indigenes of Akyem Oda but they are being dumped by unknown persons and institutions.

Madam Adu assured the residents she will charge the security forces in the municipality to stop those behind the rampant dumping of such people into the town as speculated.

By: Kofi Adjei | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana