Policewoman and four others killed in renewed Bawku clashes
The shooting incident that occurred in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region on Sunday 23rd January 2022 has brought the security situation in the Municipality to the fore again after some time of easing the curfew hours. Back on December 27, 2021, there was gunfire in parts of the town following attempts to perform the final funeral rites of a Chief who died about 41 years ago.
And the picture being painted by freelance Journalist Ibrahim Abode on the current situation in the town during an interview on the Active Morning Show with Agyenim Boateng Adjaye on Monday, January 24, 2022, depicts a near ghost town. He reports that “There seems to be calm as nobody is moving and no school in session’’.
According to Ibrahim Abode, “there were some few gunshots this morning [Monday] but as we speak some few minutes now we have not heard any. There seems to be calm. No one is moving out. No one is moving in. People are indoors, no school. Absolutely nothing this morning. The whole place is ghosted”.
On what caused the recent shooting, he said “about three days ago, there were speculations usually from social media that the President, his Excellency had called the overlord of Mamprugu from the North Eastern Region to go and discuss that[existing chieftaincy issue]. There were other areas speculating that the overlord of the Mamprugu had gone to deny the fact in front of the President that there is no any Supreme Court ruling in favour of the Kusasi and so, therefore, they[Mamprusi] still hold power within. So that went down to spark some tensions. So yesterday around 3 pm, we were there and we heard a loud gunshot and it continued throughout the day. So many people died including a Policewoman who came for duty from Accra.”
Mr. Ibrahim Abode confirm that about five people including the policewoman have been killed as a result of the recent shooting.
He then seized the opportunity to call on the government to step in to resolve the situation reminding the government about the fact that not all residents in the municipality belong to the two feuding tribes and urged them to step in and fish out all those among the feuding faction that have taken the laws into their own hands to be brought to book.
On whether he foresees any ending solution, he stated that anything is possible if only the laws will be applied equally to all and sundry.
Meanwhile, our news team has gathered that the Policewoman who was killed is Constable Regina Angenu and she was stationed at Paga in the Kasena Nankana West District. She had visited a colleague of hers, Constable Erasmus Enkson who is stationed at Bawku and the two were attacked while on their way to Constable Enkson’s barracks. She was sent to the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital for treatment where she died. The body has since been transferred to the Bolga Regional Hospital for preservation.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
