Calm Returns To Bawku

Calm has returned to the Bawku Township and its environs in the Upper East Region after reported insecurity in the area, Mr Hamza Amadu, the Bawku Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said on Thursday.

He disclosed that there were gunshots early Thursday, which compelled the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC), in collaboration with the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), to reinforce security in the area.

Mr Amadu, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Bolgatanga, said even though some residents were living in fear, the township was generally calm and people were going about their daily activities with caution.

He said security personnel comprising officers from the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service had beefed up visibility in the area, and cautioned residents not to take the law into their hands.

“The law will deal with anyone who tries to disrupt the peace in the area. We as politicians will not interfere in the work of the security agencies, and so if you misbehave and you are caught, there wouldn’t be any mercy, the law will deal with you,” the MCE said.

The Minister for the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, on the advice of the REGSEC, and by Executive Instrument, imposed a curfew from 1600hours to 0600hours, which took effect on November 24, 2021.

The REGSEC, after an emergency meeting, also imposed an immediate ban on the wearing of smocks in Bawku and its environs, saying: “This was necessitated by the fact that criminals or unscrupulous persons hide arms and ammunitions in smocks and attack opponents or innocent civilians.”

The Bawku chieftaincy conflict started in 1982 between the Kusasis and Mamprusis and ended in 1985.

It was mainly over which of the two tribes was eligible for the paramount chief position and has since been recurring.

The second happened in 2000 and ended in 2001 while the last one lasted six years from 2007 to 2013.