Deputy Minister for the Interior, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, has disclosed that more than 4,000 firearms have been surrendered nationwide under the government’s Gun Amnesty Programme, with about half of them set to be destroyed.

Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr Terlabi said the initiative forms part of efforts to reduce the proliferation of illegal weapons and enhance public safety across the country.

“We have received a total of 4,000 firearms across Ghana, and 2,000 of them will be burnt,” he stated.

According to him, some of the firearms surrendered will not be destroyed because their owners are seeking to regularise their ownership through the appropriate legal processes.

He noted that the remaining firearms, deemed unsuitable for retention, will be destroyed.

“For some of the guns, for instance, they are registered in their fathers’ names and now the owners want them registered in their own names. Those ones will be kept for them to go through the necessary processes,” he explained.

“The other 2,000 will be burnt,” he added.

Mr Terlabi revealed that many of the weapons surrendered under the amnesty are locally known as pump-action guns, most of which were imported into the country.

“Most of the firearms are pump-action guns, mostly imported,” he said.

The Deputy Minister said the government had given gun owners ample opportunity to surrender unlicensed weapons and regularise their status voluntarily.

“The door has been opened for people to return the guns. This government is serious when it comes to this,” he stressed.

He further disclosed that security agencies are intensifying surveillance at the country’s borders to intercept illegal firearms being smuggled into Ghana.

“Now we are working seriously at the borders for imported ones to be seized,” he said.

As part of efforts to strengthen law enforcement, Mr Terlabi announced that the government is procuring metal detection equipment for security agencies.

“We are purchasing metal detection machines that will be given to the police and other security agencies,” he revealed.

The Deputy Minister warned that individuals who fail to surrender illegally possessed firearms risk prosecution if found in possession of such weapons.

“If you don’t bring the guns and we get intelligence that you possess a gun, we will come for it. If you are illegally keeping a weapon, the law will take its course,” he cautioned.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling illegal firearms possession and ensuring that all weapons in circulation are properly registered and accounted for.