Basic schools in Nyankpala closed down after sporadic gunshots

Basic schools in Nyankpala have closed down following sporadic gunshots near the Nyankpala Chief’s Palace on Thursday, February 9, 2023, in the afternoon.

A visit to some basic schools in the community on Friday morning saw classrooms locked and deserted.

Some school children who did not hear about the closure and came to school this morning, had to go home early whilst others decided to play around. Some of the children told GBC News that, their teachers have asked them to go home because of yesterday’s shooting incident.

There were sporadic gunshots near the Nyankpala Chief’s Palace late Thursday afternoon, sending residents to bed earlier than usual. Police are yet to establish who is behind the shooting incident, but it is believed that the shooting is connected to the enskinment of a new chief for Nyankpala.

The Overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Abukari Mahama, on Thursday enskinned Mohammed Ibrahim as the Nyankpala chief.

Some residents allege that the enskinment has not gone down well with a certain group, and they suspect that the shooting was to show their disapproval of the new chief.

Though calm has returned to Nyankpala, school authorities say they are not taking chances with their pupils, hence the closure of the schools.

A teacher who spoke to GBC News off the record said they hoped to be back to school on Monday.

Nyankpala is also home to the University for Development Studies (UDS), but the development has not affected academic activities at the university. Students were seen going to lectures on Friday morning.

When the GBC news correspondent arrived at the Palace on Friday morning, there was calm, with a police patrol team moving around to enforce law and order.

Business activities in the community were also back to normal, with food vendors on the street selling various foods including kooko, waakye, and wassawassa.

Nyankpala is nineteen Kilometers from Tamale and home to the University for Development Studies and the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI).