The police commander’s home set ablaze
Tensions have once again boiled over in Bawku, in the Upper East Region, resulting in the death of one person and serious injuries to two others following a violent confrontation on Wednesday afternoon.
What began as a disagreement in the town’s marketplace quickly escalated into chaos.
Reports suggest that a group linked to one of the feuding factions in the ongoing chieftaincy dispute ordered women from the opposing side to vacate the market. This sparked a scuffle that drew in police officers attempting to calm the situation.
However, what followed was far from calm. Gunshots rang out as some individuals allegedly opened fire on the police.
The officers returned fire, and in the exchange, one civilian lost their life while two others were critically injured. The aftermath of the shootout only deepened the already high tensions.
In what appears to be an act of retaliation, a group of irate youth later attacked the private residence of the Bawku Divisional Police Commander, ACP Adamu Seidu, setting it ablaze.
It remains unclear if anyone was inside the house at the time it was torched.
The violence did not end there. A nearby police barracks also came under attack, with reports indicating that a police vehicle was set on fire.
Fearing further escalation, police authorities were forced to evacuate personnel from the barracks.
Security forces are currently working to restore calm in the area, but the atmosphere remains tense, with deep-rooted conflicts threatening to plunge the town further into unrest.