Security agencies restore calm at Bawku

Bawku (Upper East) 05 July 2002 -- The security agencies have been able to restore calm at Bawku after a skirmish between Kusasis and Moshies over the ownership of a piece of farmland on Wednesday. The timely intervention of the Military and the Police prevented the situation from escalating into a conflict.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) P. G.A Dokyi, Acting Commanding Officer of the Ghana Police Service in the Bawku East District, told the Ghana

News Agency that one Abdulai Harruna, alias Blaise, a Moshie reported to the Police that one Usman Sibido, a Kusasi was working on a piece of land at Tinsungu, a suburb of the town, on which a court placed an injunction in 1996.

He said some Policemen and Harruna went to the site to invite Sibido to the Police Station but a misunderstanding ensued during which the complainant was assaulted and a cutlass wound was inflicted on his head.

ASP Dokyi said the Moshies at Possum another suburb of the town, on hearing of the incident attacked all Kusasis they came across. When the news got to the Bawku Market people started running helter-skelter because they thought the Bawku conflict had erupted again people who were at the market started fleeing for their lives.

In the midst of the pandemonium, four men sustained cutlass injuries at different stages of the fight and were admitted at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital. Two were treated and discharged while the other two were responding to treatment.

ASP Dokyi said a DAF cargo truck belonging to one Bukari Muhamadu, a Kusasi, had its windscreen vandalised while a bus belonging to Mother Theresa

International School at Bawku also had part of its windscreen smashed.

He said the Police had sent in reinforcement from Bolgatanga to assist in containing the situation. Mr Ibrahim Alhassan, District Co-ordinating Director and officials of the District Security Committee at separate meetings with the Kusasis and Moshies appealed to them to co-exist peacefully to promote the development of the area.

Mr Alhassan advised them not to take the law into their hands but to report offenders to the security agencies.At the time of filing this report calm had been restored and people were going about their normal business.