Military and police deployment not an ideal solution to Bawku crisis – Peter Toobu

Wa West MP, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has stressed the need for leadership in the country to consider the Bawku conflict as a national problem.

According to Mr. Toobu, the protracted conflict is not only having a negative impact on Bawku in the Upper East Region but also on Ghana at large, therefore, calling for a national dialogue on the matter.

Speaking on Anopa Bofo morning show, the security expert who served under three different successive Inspector General of Police (IGP), said the recent happenings there in relation to the matter, indicate a new measure is required to curb it.

“I plead with Ghanaians to be awakened over this Bawku matter, it is not about Bawku, but it is Ghana… it can move from Bawku to Agbogbloshie, to Nima, and to Kumasi… and by the time we realise then the conflict has turned into a national conflict because we might had refused to act on it accordingly,” he told show host, Kojo Oppong Kyeremeh.

The former Executive Secretary to the Inspector General of Police, also said the more the conflicts lasted, the higher the insecurity it brings to the country as it could provide a fertile ground for terrorists from neighboring countries to radicalise Ghanaian youth in the north.

Peter Lanchene Toobu made the comments after the Interior Ministry beefed up security in Bawku with military presence following renewed clashes that claimed some lives.

The security expert is of the view that the continuous deployment of security personnel would not be the ideal solution to the Bawku situation.

“See, we can prefer to deploy about 5,000 military men and 5,000 policemen to Bawku but if we don’t find a lasting solution to the main issues at hand, this security personnel will continue storming the area but will end up not yielding any positive results on the matter,” he projected.

The MP believes tackling chieftaincy issues demands some dynamism and approach beyond just security, particularly, the Bawku crisis owing to the fact that the issues had been in existence since time immemorial.