Drivers appeal for police post on Bolgatanga-Navrongo Road

Some drivers on the Bolgatanga-Navrongo stretch of the road in the Upper East Region have appealed to government to establish a police post along the road to curb reported incidences of armed robbery.

They also called on authorities to erect road signs on the road, especially before speed ramps and sharp curves, to signal them of the dangers ahead.

The 40km road, which is characterized by several speed ramps from Bolgatanga the Regional capital to Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality has no police post, which has exposed drivers and commuters to numerous robbery attacks in recent times.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) was on that stretch of road to interview drivers about their views on the recent reported cases of armed robbery, which had compelled some Police Officers to mount barriers along the road, especially after Anateem and Doba, communities.

A taxi driver, Mr Ayindenaba Asibika, who plies the Bolgatanga-Navrongo road on daily bases, told the GNA that armed robbers often attacked them on that stretch of road where there were many speed ramps between the two communities and the robbers took advantage of that to mount roadblocks on the ramps, “So when we get there and slow down, they attack us. A police station along the road will help reduce or even stop these robbery attacks.”

Mr Alhassan Arimeyaw, a ‘trotro’ driver, appealed to authorities to erect road signs along that stretch to reduce the rate at which some of his colleague drivers ran onto the speed ramps.

“There are no road signs ahead of most of the speed ramps to notify us, some of the signs are positioned right by the ramps and before you realize it, you hit them unknowingly. I am used to the road, and so I know where all the speed ramps and potholes are but I’m worried about first time users,” he said.

“As for robbery attacks, it is almost on weekly bases, we think that the presence of a Police Station along the road will be of great help to us, if the authorities can establish one, it will at least reduce the attacks.”

A Police Officer at post at one of the barriers at Anateem, where there was a reported case of armed robbery, told the GNA on condition of anonymity, that “You can imagine, the whole of this road, there is no police station, at least a police post would have been helpful”.

He said it was difficult for them to track armed robbers on the road, and explained that “By the time we get a signal that there is a robbery attack, and move from Navrongo or Bolga to this place, the robbers might have finished their operation and gone.”

“At least, if we get a police post by the Bolgatanga Polytechnic, at Sumbrungu it will help us. Now, assuming a student at the institution is attacked, the perpetrator is likely to escape free but the presence of a police post will scare people from certain acts.”

According to the Officer who was armed, the Police on patrol along the road were compelled to split up and mount barriers, to ensure the safety of commuters, “Even with that, the portions we are not able to cover are exposed. We have only one pick-up vehicle for this road, which is even gone to town to get us food. It’s not easy but we are managing.”

The Police barrier, which was manned by four heavily armed Officers as at 1800hours on Thursday when the GNA interacted with them, stopped every vehicle on the road, inspected the booths of cars, and trucks with goods and registration numbers of motorbikes.