The renewed chieftaincy clash in Bawku of the Upper East region, has left at least 20 people dead while other victims suffered serious gunshot wounds.
Two were shot dead at their Zongo residence in the township at about 12:00 am at dawn yesterday, while eight met their untimely demise after assailants attacked them in Bawku Township in the afternoon of Sunday.
Similarly, three young men, believed to be in their late 20s and early 30s who were onboard a mini vehicle, were accosted on the route close to the Bawku Technical Institute (Bawku Tech), and were shot multiple times, leading to their instant death.
A reprisal attack from an angry youth also mobilised and attacked houses in about four communities, resulting in seven additional deaths.This has brought the death toll to 20 within three days of violence and reprisal attacks in Bawku.
An eyewitness said the bodies of the demised had been taken by their families, as the injured victims had also been taken to the Presbyterian Hospital in Bawku, Bolgatanga Regional hospital, and other health centres in and outside the conflict area.Rejoice Fm has not been able to establish the exact number of residents who suffered injuries as of the time of filing this report.
The source further stated that the injured and deceased were attacked at about 12:00 am, as their houses were surrounded by the assailants, who had gone into hiding after the heinous atrocities were unleashed on innocent residents of the area.
Bawku has for the past four days come under intense violent attack after Alhaji Seidu Abagre, who was enskinned as the new Paramount Chief for Bawku by the King of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sherigah II, returned to Bawku with heavy military escort on Friday, October 25, this year, after nearly two years of his enskinment.
All attempts to speak with the Commander of the Bawku Divisional Police command, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Adamu Seidu, to confirm or otherwise of the reported number of persons whose lives have been lost in the wake of the ‘resurrected attacks’, proved futile.
Residents are amplifying their calls for the security to up their game in protecting residents in the area, as some attackers mount blocks on the routes leading to the town in an attempt to prevent vehicles from moving to-and-from the area.Sporadic gunshots continued unabated, with many expressing worry that the escalation of the impasse could lead to hundreds of people losing their lives.
A news conference was being addressed at the palace of the Paramount Chief of Bawku, Zug-Ran Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, on the impasse.Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service in a press statement re-affirmed their commitment to restore calm in Bawku.
“Aside the police and military deployment in Bawku and its environs, there is a joint Police and Military deployment along the Bolgatanga-Walewale-Tamale highway to ensure security and manage vehicular traffic”, the police emphasised.