Bawku MCE calls for central government intervention after the latest escalation in town
The Municipal Chief Executive for Bawku in the Upper East Region Amadu Hamza has cried out over how they have been overwhelmed by the escalating tension in the area which is becoming difficult to curb.
He noted that the situation is treated as urgent and given the utmost seriousness it deserves due to the negative impact it will have on livelihoods if not resolved.
These pleas come on the heels of Wednesday’s sporadic gunshots which caused the death of one person and left five others injured, three of whom are military officers.
Earlier in the week, one person was killed after he was also gunned down.
“I must be honest, the situation in Bawku is very scary. The display of ammunition and guns is becoming serious. Bawku is seriously crushing down. Education is completely being destroyed. Nurses are fleeing. Residents are running away and that is what we are looking at to see if they will return.”
“This is the situation we find ourselves in now and I am appealing to the President and the Vice President to inform the National Security that the matter is becoming more serious and that we need central government intervention. There is the need for them to look at the central issues in Bawku for the security situation to improve,“ the MCE said.
Amadu Hamza admitted that past efforts made to resolve the clashes in the township have proven futile.
He said the instability in Bawku and its environs is more spiritual other than a human problem.
“It is a crisis situation, but I want to thank the security agencies for what they have done so far. Right now, what I want residents of Bawku and citizens of Ghana to do is to commit us in their prayers. We need nothing but prayers. God should answer our prayers. He is the only one who can solve our issues because they are beyond human interventions.”
Eighteen suspects were rounded up by the police during the recent tensions in Bawku which led to the killing of a horse trader at Gozezi.
The situation goes as far back as December 27, 2021, when there was gunfire in parts of the town after attempts to perform the final funeral rites of a Chief who died about 41 years ago.
The violence led to a curfew being placed on the entire township, a ban on smock-wearing, and a ban on the use of motorbikes.
The government also assured it is calling the National Peace Council to find a lasting solution to the disturbances that have characterized Bawku in the past few months.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has also urged the feuding factions in the Bawku chieftaincy dispute to ceasefire and dialogue.
