Police arrest 13 in Bole for breaking curfew law

Thirteen individuals have been arrested in Bole for violating emergency curfew laws imposed on the town since December 2018 after chieftaincy violence resulted into killings.

The men were rounded up on the street and other locations after the mandatory curfew went into effect. The Interior Ministry declared a round-the-clock curfew after clashes broke out between chieftaincy divide last year.

The curfew was recently relaxed to between 8 pm to 4 am, however, sweltering night temperatures and a heatwave in the area have made it extremely difficult for residents to stay indoors during curfew hours.

There have been reports of brutalities of civilians by security forces, which many have blamed the District Chief Executive (DCE), Madam Veronica Alele.

Accusations of meddling and bias in the chieftaincy dispute coupled with growing protests by the constituency executives of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) against the DCE have degraded and weakened her executive powers in the district.

Some residents are also angry at the DCE for failing to provide relief items for storm and flood victims and to curb highway robbery and illegal mining in the area.

According to local radio station Nkilgi FM, scores of people Wednesday morning stormed the Bole police station to demand the release of their relatives but the police insisted the suspects would face prosecution in court.

The arrest comes after the Bole District Police Commander, ASP David, told the Inspector General of Police that, the Bole chieftaincy tensions were still far from over.

“The other chief nominated by the Yagbonwura during the incident left town – I understand he is at Damongo – he has still not returned. The rival chief is still in town performing his role as the Bolewura. He has enskined some sub-chiefs, almost all the places that are vacant, he has almost filled all the vacancies.

“So we don’t know what will happen when the other chief nominated by the Yagbonwura also returns to town : that’s our fear, any attempt for him to come is possible there will be some skirmish,” ASP David brief the IGP, who was in the area as part of a day’s working visit of the newly created Savanna Region.