The National Security Council is seeking the involvement of traditional authorities in addressing existential threats posed by conflicts in Bawku, Nkwanta, and other communities.

According to the National Security Coordinator, COP Osman Abdul Razak, 130 out of 503 cases involving chieftaincy, land, and ethnic disputes pose significant threats to the country’s peace.

He stated that the security situation has not only resulted in the loss of lives and livelihoods but has also had a negative impact on the nation's finances.

“130 of them posing existential threats to community security and national security, not forgetting the weight they put on the public purse,” he said.

COP Osman was speaking at a meeting of the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi.

“Chieftaincy and land conflicts have also claimed considerable lives, many have also been maimed. These are not just statistics we mentioned, they are mothers, sons and daughters, and most of all your subjects, whose dreams have been cut short,” he indicated.

The National Security Council has expressed particular concern about the ongoing conflicts in Bawku and Nkwanta.

According to COP Osman Abdul Razak, the Bawku conflict has severely affected commercial activities in the area, prompting the government to review the curfew imposed there.

In Nkwanta, he noted that lives and property continue to be lost due to the unrest.

COP Razak emphasized that it is time for traditional authorities to intervene and help bring a lasting resolution to these conflicts.

“When customary laws are ignored and succession pathways are not adhered to, what happens is what we are witnessing today,” he said.

He added that, “the solution lies not in the barrel of a town, but in the wisdom of you as traditional rulers.”

Proliferation of Arms

The National Security Council has also expressed concern over the proliferation of arms in the country.

It highlighted the indiscriminate firing of musketry as one of the key issues that must be addressed.

According to the National Security Coordinator, COP Osman Abdul Razak, increasingly sophisticated weapons are being used in traditional activities, posing significant threats and causing harm.

He is calling on the National House of Chiefs to issue a communiqué to help address the situation.

“Before maybe you rise from this sitting, a form of a communique is put out there directing the firing of musketry from hence should go according to your traditional arrangement,” he said.

He said the practice is increasingly becoming harmful as some persons have been maimed or killed by the act.

Illegal mining

The National Security Coordinator, COP Abdul Razak Osman, further expressed worry over the harm being caused to the environment by illegal mining.

He emphasized that the pollution of some major river bodies by the illegality is adversely affecting the water supply.

“When community can no longer drink from its river, when farm lands become wastelands, when the young people see no future, except in the mining pits,” he added.

He further called on traditional authorities to aid the National Security in fighting the menace.