The Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA) has petitioned the North East Regional Coordinating Council, demanding a full and independent investigation into the shooting death of a 51-year-old man, Mawutor Banakar, at a police checkpoint near Gbintri in the East Mamprusi Municipality.

The incident, reported by JoyNews, occurred around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at a police checkpoint in Gaboani along the Gushegu–Gbintri road.

Eyewitnesses, including a brother of the victim, alleged that the deceased was shot by an armed police officer after a heated argument over the payment of a bribe at the checkpoint.

Sources indicated that after the shooting, the officer and a colleague hurriedly seized the body of the severely wounded man and transported him to the Baptist Medical Centre in Nalerigu, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Hours later, the regional police command issued a statement confirming the shooting but disputing the eyewitness accounts.

According to the police, the deceased was shot after he resisted a search, grabbed the officer’s weapon, and attempted “to snatch it from him.”

“A struggle ensued between the Police officer and the pillion rider, and in the process, the weapon of the police officer went off and the upper arm of the pillion rider and injured him, while the officer sustained bruises on his body with his uniform torn,” said the Regional Public Relations Officer, DSP Robert Anabiik Anmain.

The police account has angered KOYA and the family of the deceased, prompting a petition to the Regional Minister and the Ghana Police Service. The petition makes several demands, including:

“Establish a Commission of Enquiry to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the heinous, and ensure enhanced security visibility, especially at night, along the Eastern Corridor Road; from Gushegu to Nakpanduri, and Gbintri to Nalerigu, Chereponi, and Yunyoo.”

KOYA is also calling for an order for the “immediate cessation of extortion at Police Checkpoints during market days on all major roads within the region.”

The petition was submitted in Nalerigu by a KOYA delegation led by the Association’s Regional President, Charles Ningarim. The group urged all stakeholders in the region to unite in seeking justice for Mr Banakar.

KOYA further appealed to the youth to remain calm, avoid confrontations with security agencies, and refrain from taking the law into their own hands.

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