Ayariga, Police Commander’s Houses Set Ablaze In Bawku
The restive municipality of Bawku in the Upper East Region is engulfed in violence again, with one fatality recorded. Also reported was the setting ablaze of the residences of the Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, and the Divisional Police Commander, ACP Adamu Seidu.
Two other individuals are reported to be critically injured in the renewed clashes on Wednesday.
Signs of impending strife were visible after a press conference by some Kusasi youth, during which they slammed President John Dramani Mahama for not fulfilling his promise to address the Bawku conflict.
They also attacked the Majority Leader, promising that, in the elections to come, both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential and parliamentary candidates would receive zero votes in the ballot boxes.
Wednesday’s clash was reportedly triggered when one of the factions involved in the prolonged chieftaincy dispute ordered women from the opposing faction, who were trading in their market, to leave immediately. A confrontation ensued, prompting the police to move in to restore order.
Some armed youth reportedly opened fire, prompting the police to respond. During the exchange, one civilian lost his life, and others sustained injuries. Incensed youth, during the exchange, charged at the private residence of the Police Commander and set it ablaze.
The Police Service was forced to evacuate personnel from the barracks. In addition, the police barracks and a security vehicle were also set on fire.
Earlier, a Bawku group expressed disappointment in President Mahama and the Majority Leader during a press conference.
According to them, political parties were using the Bawku conflict to advance their causes. They accused the Majority Leader, whose mother is a Mamprusi, of showing little concern when a woman and her baby were killed in a house not far from his own in Bawku.
They also criticised the visit to Bawku by the President and the Majority Leader, alleging that other Members of Parliament (MPs) from the area were excluded.
A Daily Guide Report