The influx of guns behind current chieftaincy disputes – Security analyst

Adib says guns are coming in from Libya

Tracks filled with guns are impounded daily en route to West Africa – Adib

Govt must put in measures to curb proliferation of arms – Adib

Security Analyst Adib Saani has indicated that the influx of guns is one of the factors behind the recent deadly violence, particularly in chieftaincy disputes in the northern parts of the country.

According to him, the guns that come in from conflict areas such as Libya have emboldened criminals to act even more dangerously.

In a JoyNews interview monitored by GhanaWeb, the security analyst called on the government to urgently address the issue of guns illegally going through Ghana’s borders.

“I think that one of the most important things that we have to look at (to resolve chieftaincy disputes) is the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. The only reference point we have, as of now, is the 2014 Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) baseline report that indicated that there are well over 2 million guns in the system.

“So, you can imagine eight years down the line, since the Kofi Annan baseline survey, how many more weapons we would have had in the system. Especially steaming from the influx in Lydia finding its way through the Sahel region in West Africa.

“We have friends we work closely with; … one of them is a Nigerian police officer, and he tells me that almost every day, they impound tracks filled with guns headed toward Sub-Saharan Africa. So, we really need to look at it, especially also, the local gun manufacturing industry. Because, without these guns, these people will not have the motivation to go into the town to shoot people,” he said.

Saani added that the influx of guns must be treated with urgency because it could also lead to acts of terrorism.

Recently, three military officers were shot during a shootout with some unknown assailants in Bawku in the Upper East Region. Also, a Fulani horse trader was shot and killed in Bawku by an unknown gunman on a motorcycle.

In Tamale, four people, including a chief, were shot after gunmen attacked a palace in a chieftaincy dispute.