Deputy Minister Ekow Vincent Assafuah has claimed that the January 2, 2025, Kantamanto market fire was politically motivated. He suspects the involvement of Quaicoo, also called Oboy, a polling agent for the opposition NDC, based on his own investigation. Speaking on Asempa FM, Assafuah alleged that Oboy had made remarks hinting at the fire both before and after the recent elections.

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"Based on my investigation, you will realize that those who set the market on fire did it in such a way that it would be very difficult for anyone, including Fire Service personnel, to salvage any of the items being burnt. I have already written to the Ghana Police Service. There is this young man at Kantamanto called Quaicoo, aka Oboy. He was a polling station agent for the NDC in Odododiodoo.

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This gentleman, before and after the elections, gave signals, and in his own words, as narrated to me, said, 'As for Kantamanto, we will all lose it.' These have been some of his words to friends and other people at Kantamanto."He continued, "Anybody who knows Kantamanto will tell you that these are people who live as one community.

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This is a man whose wife divorced him a few weeks ago, and because the financial support from his wife is no longer coming, he is now being supported financially by some people at Kantamanto. But due to politicking...”

lawmaker added, “For the purposes of protecting the identity of the person who provided this information, I will keep their name confidential. A woman at Kantamanto told me that on

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Wednesday around 11 p.m., she saw this man passing by, and not long after, the market was in flames. So clearly, based on the narration from this woman and corroborating accounts from friends of this man named Quaicoo, aka Oboy, I am convinced that this incident was politically motivated.”A major fire broke out at Kantamanto market early Thursday, January 2, 2024, destroying many shops and properties.

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Firefighters arrived with 13 tenders to control the blaze, which caused significant damage. Video footage captured thick smoke filling the market as flames spread. According to Ghana National Fire Service PRO Alex King Nartey, there were no injuries or fatalities. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire and assessing the full extent of the losses.

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