Police in Walewale and Mamprugu Moiduri both in the North East region are on a manhunt for a farmer suspected to have killed and dumped a seven-year-old herdboy into the White Volta at Sariba. 

The boy, who went missing on Monday was found dead in the river on Wednesday evening after the farmer allegedly attacked him and four of his brothers who had led a cattle to the riverside to drink water. 

Information available to JoyNews indicates that the farmer felt provoked when he found some of the animals grazing on his land. He chased the boys with a cutlass, and four of them managed to escape home to report to their parents.  

When the parents rushed to the scene, they found the farmer with the cattle but he denied knowledge of the whereabouts of the herdboy. 

A tribal search team was quickly organised and after over 72 hours of distressing search, the body which had started to rot was found afloat. 

The police were called in and together with medical experts, the body was retrieved, examined and later released for burial on the same day. 

The police say they are waiting for a full autopsy report to determine how exactly the boy died. 

Meanwhile, the manhunt is already underway for the suspect who is believed to be on the run. 

This is the second death of a herdboy in the area amidst an ongoing tension between native farmers and nomadic herdsmen in the Moiduri district. 

Following the news, an International Fulani welfare group in Ghana, Tabital Pulaaku, has dispatched a team to the area to engage with the Fulani community to ensure calm as the police investigate. 

The National Secretary of the group, Musah Barry, said the intimidation of Fulanis is getting out of hand and called on security institutions to step up measures to curb unprovoked attacks. 

He said the Fulani community is working together with the Mamprugu Traditional Council and the Regional Coordinating Council in the spirit of the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol to ensure the safety and freedom of Fulanis and their properties.