Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbi
Personnel of Ghana Armed Forces deployed to Bawku to fight terrorism have been accused by some residents of allegedly killing at least 10 unarmed civilians from Kusasi in their homes and communities.
The military unit, who were deployed to Bawku as members of Operation Gongong were charged with the duty of restoring peace and calm in the area and also to prevent possible terrorist attacks.
The incident has brought about some level of insecurity in affected areas as some believed the alleged attacks are targeted toward a specific group.
Here is a breakdown of the issue and responses from key parties involved.
Eyewitness statement:
According to a publication by the BBC, an eyewitness claimed some armed men in military outfit were chasing and shooting at unarmed civilians.
According to them, eight victims were killed in the Missiga district of Bawku including a 12-year-old boy who was burnt to death in a grain silo.
Bawku MP drugs Ghana Armed Forces to CHRAJ and demands GH¢500,000 as compensation per victim
Mahama Ayariga, a Member of Parliament for Bawku Central. According to a publication by the BBC published on February 2, 2023, the legislator was reported to have accused the military of being behind the deaths and called for an immediate investigation.
Mahama Ayariga went a step further to petition the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the killings of 10 citizens and also demand GH¢500,000 compensation for each person allegedly killed by the military.
Response from the Ghana Armed Forces
In a press statement signed by the Director of Public Relations for the Ghana Armed Forces, Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbie, the armed forces described the allegations as “false” and “untrue”.
Narrating the sequence of events based on reports made available to his outfit by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB), he revealed that, passengers on board in a yellow KIA Grand Bird Bus with Registration Number AS 3672-21 travelling from Accra to Missiga were attacked by unknown gunmen around Kpawelga on the Bawku Highway who fired at the tyre and engine compartment of the vehicle. The said KIA Grand Bird Bus is currently packed at Asylum Down, Bawku Divisional Police Station for investigations.
According to the statement, an attack was also carried out at a KIA Rhino truck with registration number AS 7093-17 leading to the driver of the truck, Alhassan Abdella from the Gonja tribe sustaining a gunshot wound on his left foot.
Again, the statement revealed that, on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, gunshots were heard around South Natinga in Bawku for which a Patrol Team was deployed to the area of the shooting where a suspect, Abdul Malik Haruna, aged 35, from the Mamprusi tribe was arrested and had since been handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigations.
Based on these happenings and a tip-off by the Bawku Police on the hideout of the suspects believed to be involved in the firing of guns at Bawku, a joint team of soldiers and police from the Bawku Police at Pateleme General Area conducted cordon and search operations.
According to the statement, the outcome of the search is the arrest of three suspects; Fatau Alhassan Binda, 42, Abubakar Iddrisu, 44 and Alhassan Mustapha Binda, aged 33. The suspects who are all from the Dagomba tribe were arrested in a house at Pateleme.
Also, in a separate incident, the statement read that sporadic firing was heard around Sabongari General Area, the patrol team dispatched to assess the situation spotted unknown armed men at Gozesi-Valley side in Sabongari wearing black T-shirts with Black Hoodies and the troops engaged them and “neutralized” six armed men.
The Ghana Armed Forces called on Ghanaians to dispel the narrative that troops are targeting a select group of people in Bawku and collaborate with personnel present to ensure peace and harmony.
EAN/WA
