The Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, says government has instituted stringent measures to deal decisively with the security situation in the Upper East Regional town of Bawku.

As part of efforts to restore calm in the municipality, the Minister assured that government has engaged the National Peace Council (NPC) to intervene to resolve the renewed conflicts in the area.

He also indicated that security personnel have been deployed to the area to forestall any riot.

According to him, the issues “started with simple suspicion and later we deployed both military and police. When we did that, it was an ordinary deployment until we were shocked by some occurrence which wasn’t easily understood, it didn’t involve the major stakeholders.”

“In view of the fact that it’s near a border where you have extremists being close, the last time about 20 km, there is reinforcement and you’d see the heavy armour that has been deployed,” he disclosed.

He made these known in Parliament on Wednesday after the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, asked him to update the House on what measures are in place to address the tension.

The Tamale South MP added that he is frightened by the security situation in the area.

“I just want to draw his attention that let’s not take the matter in Bawku lightly. On two occasions, I was told that ‘you can’t enter here, you can’t pass here, you can’t go here.’ That is the extent of the hate manifesting in excessive arms in wrong hands.”

“Citizens are just sitting across not relating with each other as they used to. I have been frightened and I think that the deteriorating security situation in Bawku must receive the necessary and urgent attention of you as the Minister for the Interior and probably National Security,” he mentioned.

In response, Mr. Ambrose Dery expressed confidence that the series of interventions will completely address the situation for peace to be fully restored in the community.

“The intervention of the Peace Council will bring down the tension. We are prepared to make sure that the status quo is respected and maintained. No lawlessness is going to be tolerated.”

The renewed chieftaincy clashes in Bawku have so far claimed the lives of some residents in the area.

Through an Executive Instrument (E. I.), the Interior Ministry placed a curfew on Bawku and its adjoining communities to restrict movement from 8:00pm to 8:00am daily.

In January, 2022, a Police officer was shot dead amid the resurgence of the violent clashes.

Constable Regina Angenu who was with the Paga Police Station died after paying a visit to one of her colleagues. She was shot in the groin and died at the Presbyterian Mission Hospital while undergoing treatment.

Other casualties were reported while several residents sustained various injuries.

Subsequently, the Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC) banned the riding of motorbikes in the Municipality due to what the Police described as a volatile nature of security in the locale.