Zebilla Police to be equipped to fight crime

The Ghana Police Service in the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region would soon be equipped by government to enable it fight crime in the area.

The District had over the years recorded cases of broad day robberies at gun point which led to deaths in some communities including Binaba, Zebilla township and on the Zebilla-Bolga stretch of road, especially on market days.

Mr Ambrose Dery, the Minister for Interior who paid a working visit to the District on Tuesday to acquit himself with security deployment at border points in the District, told the media that his outfit had taken note of robberies in the area.

“We are now going to give Zebilla a stationed vehicle they didn’t have, except those vehicles that we have deployed here for the operations.” Mr Dery disclosed that the District which hitherto had about 80 Police personnel now had only 50, “We have deployed more, we are going to increase the numbers because we already have two thousand Police in training.”

“One thousand to come out in the next few weeks, and the other thousand will follow later. We will continue to make sure we recruit and train as many Police personnel as possible,” he said.

The Minister said even though government was working effectively to ensure that the country was safe for its citizenry, he urged members of the public to be vigilant and to get education on basic security tips.

“Now if you watch the TV, you will see ‘Ghana Police Watch'(a television series shown on multiple television channels, which educates members of the public on the core duties of the police, and on security tips), you get tips from there, but the people on the ground are prepared to go round the place of worship to educate them. Ghanaians please be vigilant.”

Prior to addressing the media, Mr Dery, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nandom Constituency in the Upper West Region, visited the Chief of Tilli and Reagent of Widnaba, a community in the District where some Burkinabe refugees are seeking refuge owing to some chieftaincy disputes in some parts of Burkina Faso.

He welcomed the refugees and thanked the Chief of Tilli for his hospitality to them, and urged them to endeavour to register their names with officials of the Ghana Immigration Service.

He further admonished the refugees to abide by the laws of the country and report anyone who intended to cause trouble to the security personnel for appropriate action.

“The security personnel are your friends, you should corporate with them,” he added.

Naaba Akebelungu Issifu Ateah, the Chief of Tilli, expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for accepting the refugees, and called on him to support them with accommodation.

As at the time of the Minister’s visit, the Ghana News Agency was told that the Ghana Immigration Service in the District had registered about 96 Burkinabes some weeks ago, while newly registered refugees were about 86.

The Minister was in the company of Mr Frank Fuseini Adongo, the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister and MP for the area, Madam Victoria Ayamba, the Bawku West District Chief Executive, top security service officials and members of both the Regional and District Security Councils.