Sunyani Night Market traders unhappy about weird behaviours of some mentally-deranged people

Petty traders at the Sunyani Night Market enclave in the Bono Regional capital say they are worried about the incursion and weird behaviours of some young people, supposedly with mental health conditions. 

They appealed to the city authorities and relevant institutions to do something urgently to take them off the streets of the capital, observing that many of them with those conditions were noticed in the area, whenever the Christmas festivities approached. 

Their concerns followed a recent scenario of a young man, within his 30s, who ran amok on the main street of Township at the Night Market enclave. 

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered that incident happened around 1200 hours of Thursday November 6, 2025 in the enclave, when the young man, well and neatly dressed in a black ‘T shirt’ and a brown Khaki trouser and wearing a black cup, assaulted some petty traders along the principal street in the enclave. 

“Because of his aggressive looks and weird behaviour, nobody could approach or tame him,” one of the traders, Madam Abigail Gyan told the GNA. 

She expressed worry that the situation was becoming alarming in the enclave, citing that a similar incident happened at the Sunyani Central Business District, around the COCOBOD area last week. 

“What seems strange is that it’s only when Xmas approaches that you often notice these characters who carry nice and attractive looks,” Madam Gyan stated. 

Another trader at the night market, only known as Madam Rhana, told the GNA that: “I was dump folded to see this nice-looking guy in that condition, however, “his condition isn’t something new,” attributing substance abuse and money-making rituals fueling such behaviours among the youth. 

Mr Kwame Ofosu, a popular lotto agent in the enclave also expressed concern about the growing trend of the ‘get-rich-quick’ syndrome, popularly known as ‘sakawa’ among the youth. 

Besides, he said football betting and sport-related gambling was also driving many of the young people into money rituals and called on the government to rise and bring the situation under control. 

Efforts made by the GNA to contact Mr Vincent Antwi Agyei, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, were unsuccessful. 

Source: GNA