The Upper East Regional Minister Hon Donatus Akamugri Atanga has dismissed calls for a state of emergency in Bawku and its surrounding areas.
According to the regional minister, the situation, though tense, does not warrant such drastic measures as it is “not an all-war situation.”
Hon Donatus Akamugri Atanga is quoted by TV3 to have said, “Declaring a state of emergency in Bawku and its environs is not necessary because it is not an all-war situation”.
There has been an escalation of violence following the resurgence of a long-standing chieftaincy conflict, sparked by the return of rival chief Alhaji Seidu Abagre from exile.
Abagre fled Bawku after an arrest warrant was issued against him following his contested installation as chief in Nalerigu, a High Court ruling in Kumasi on October 17, 2024, nullified the warrant, allowing him to resurface.
Police Officers stationed in Bawku have called upon the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno to withdraw them from the town.
According to the police officers, violence in Bawku keeps escalating, hence their call on the IGP to withdraw them as their lives are at risk.
In a series of voice notes shared by some police officers in the area who have found their way to X, one could hear the sounds of rapid gunfire as the officers sought cover indoors.
“They are firing guns now. There are no lights and they are shooting all around,” a policewoman was heard saying.
A policeman was also heard saying, “Charley, we are not safe. They’ve switched off lights here and they are firing guns sporadically.”
The information gathered also suggests the police administration has identified that police personnel and their families are being targeted for possible assassination and attacks in the Bawku, Pusiga, and Binduri areas, following the dastardly killing of two officers near Binduri in the Upper East Region by unknown assailants last Sunday.
As a result, the police administration has, with immediate effect, banned the movement of police personnel and their families in these areas.
Meanwhile, the Manhyia Palace has announced that Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II will resume mediation efforts to address the Bawku conflict from April 28 to May 1, 2025, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
See the post below:
Hon. Donatus Akamugri Atanga has dismissed calls for a state of emergency in Bawku and its surrounding areas, asserting that the situation, though tense, does not warrant such drastic measures as it is “not an all-war situation.”#TV3GH pic.twitter.com/J3CV9L6WFX
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) April 14, 2025
