Directive follows deadly attack amid renewed tensions in Bawku area
The Ghana Police Service has imposed a ban on the movement of personnel and their families in the conflict-prone areas of Bawku, Binduri, Pusiga, and Garu, citing serious security threats to officers and their relatives. The directive, issued via a police wireless message signed by ACP J. W. Darison, follows a disturbing trend of personnel being targeted by unknown assailants in these volatile areas.
According to the internal communication, police officers and their families have become direct targets, prompting an immediate halt to any travel into the affected zones. The message explicitly states that all movement of police officers—both indigenes and non-indigenes—and their relatives is banned, with immediate effect. Officers deployed on operations in the area have also been instructed to wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) and travel only under armoured escort.
The directive comes in the wake of a brutal attack in Binduri, where a man was reportedly shot and killed near Atuba, a suburb of Binduri Central. Security sources indicated that the attackers set the victim’s body and motorcycle ablaze after the killing. While the motive is yet to be confirmed, the assault is suspected to be linked to the ongoing Bawku chieftaincy conflict, which has recently intensified.
Just a day before the attack, Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, visited the Bawku Naba, Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, to appeal for cooperation between the traditional leadership and the police in restoring peace. The IGP reassured the public that the police would remain neutral and act professionally in their peacekeeping duties, in response to a petition from the Kusaug Youth, who raised concerns about the conduct of certain officers in the region.
In reaction to the Binduri killing, the Bawku chapter of the Mamprugu Youth Association (MAYA) condemned the act and called for urgent government intervention. They are demanding increased security presence in the area and the enforcement of restrictions on motorbike usage, which has often been associated with attacks in the region. The group also called on the Member of Parliament for Binduri, Mahmoud Issifu, to take concrete steps to address the growing insecurity in his constituency.
Source: 3News