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The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Nzema East, James Ackah Cobbinah, during the Kundum festival, caused the brutal assault and subsequent detention of a 32-year-old man. Eyewitness reports said the victim, Michael Mclegend, a UK-based Ghanaian who had travelled to his hometown for the festival, had the beating of his life from the driver of the MCE and Eric Amoako, also believed to be the nephew of the MCE. The incident happened right in front of the Axim District Police Station and the MCE was said to have looked on with a grin while Mclegend was being assaulted. Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Catherine Abelema Afeku, however rushed to the police station upon hearing the story, to bail the hapless victim. The 32-year-old had blood oozing from his nose and bruises all over his body. During the celebration of the festival last Thursday, hundreds of people from Axim and surrounding communities gathered on the middle of the road in front of the Axim Police Station to participate in a drumming and dancing event. The paper gathered that before the ceremony started, the natives blocked the road at both ends to prevent any vehicle from passing through. According to eyewitnesses, at about 8:00pm, the people saw the MCE�s 4X4 Land Cruiser vehicle approaching. When the vehicle got to the exact place the people were drumming and dancing, Mclegend, who was then recording the event with his video camera, appealed to the driver to return and use another route. DAILY GUIDE learnt that in response, the driver remarked, �Do you know the one sitting in the car; he is the MCE for the area so you people should give way�. The situation reportedly caused a scene and some of the people also joined Mclegend to appeal to the MCE�s driver to go back and use an alternative route since the crowd was thick and impossible to manoeuvre through. The driver, DAILY GUIDE gathered, became furious and got out of the car, held the shirt of Mclegend and subjected him to severe beatings by slapping and punching him in the nose, to the extent that blood started oozing from his nostrils. As if that was not enough, the MCE allegedly ordered the police in Axim to arrest the 32-year-old man and detain him. DAILY GUIDE gathered that it was the MP for Evalue-Gwira, Hon Afeku, who upon hearing the story, went to the police station to bail the young man. When contacted, Mclegend confirmed the story and told DAILY GUIDE that as a native of Axim who was based UK, he visited the area almost every year, particularly during the annual Kundum festival. He described the incident as unfortunate and commended the MP for the area for her intervention. DSP Kojo Nkansah, Axim District Police Commander, in an interview with DAILY GUIDE, confirmed that indeed the returnee was detained at his station on Thursday evening, but refuted the allegation that the MCE�s driver assaulted Mclegend. He however indicated that it was rather the returnee who assaulted the MCE and that he was detained and later granted bail. Efforts to get the MCE and the MP for the area proved futile as their phones were off when DAILY GUIDE called.