Majority Leader Condemns Military Killings, Seeks Asantehene’s Intervention
Majority Leader and Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga urgently appealed to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on July 15, 2025, to expedite peace talks to resolve the ongoing Bawku conflict, following a military operation on July 13 that killed six civilians and injured over 20. Speaking at a parliamentary press conference, Ayariga expressed confidence in the Asantehene’s mediation.
We’re appealing to him to expedite action. We know it’s a complicated matter, but we all have confidence in him and his ability to bring an end to the situation. The earlier the better for all of us. That is why the MPs are appealing to him to expedite action.”
The operation, targeting suspected armed groups, led to the destruction of a statue of Zugran Naaba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, prompting Ayariga to condemn the military’s “unacceptable” actions and demand an investigation. Tempane MP Lydia Akanvariba criticized the military’s unprofessional conduct, calling for an apology. The violence, linked to the Kusasi-Mamprusi chieftaincy dispute, saw a gun attack on a military-escorted vehicle, escalating tensions, per GBC Ghana Online.
Ayariga, supporting Otumfuo’s mediation, backed by President John Mahama and traditional leaders like the Overlords of Kusaug and Mamprugu, urged calm and cooperation with security forces. The conflict, fueled by competing chieftaincy claims, risks terrorist infiltration, as warned by Otumfuo in May 2025. Past incidents, including attacks on Ayariga’s home in April, highlight the crisis’s severity, with 2024–2025 violence claiming over 30 lives.
Four individuals—Suuk Jakwa, 67; Banyiwoo Ntookwib, 32; Moapya Kwayaja, 30; and Amos Nlaji, 29—were arrested on July 14, 2025, by the North East Regional Police Command for the lynching of 70-year-old Noab Bilatukin in Sangbana, Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District, on July 10. Accused of witchcraft, Bilatukin was attacked and killed by a mob alleging she cast spells, as reported by Graphic Online.
The incident follows a pattern of witchcraft-related violence in northern Ghana, with Amnesty International noting hundreds of victims, mostly elderly women, face attacks or death. A 2020 lynching in Kafaba led to arrests, and a 2025 Amnesty report urged criminalizing witchcraft accusations, with a bill reintroduced in February 2025.