Bawku Conflict: 3 deceased men engaged in gun fight with military – MCE

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Bawku, Amadu Hamza Zanga, has stated that the three young men, whom some soldiers shot, were involved in a gunfight with the military.

Speaking in an interview, the MCE mentioned that on the day of the incident, he heard gunshots some meters away from his home and inquired from the military commander stationed in the area.

Mr. Zanga noted that he was informed that the deceased men had attacked the officers who only retaliated.

However, the cause of the gunfight was not divulged, but he stated that gunshots had already been heard in Bawku days prior.

“The Commander of the military on the ground told me they had an exchange with some boys…. I asked, ‘What boys? Where are they coming from?’ But being a stranger, it was difficult to tell me exactly where they were coming from. I asked what happened, and they told me they [the boys] actually fired at them, and they [the soldiers] also fired back.”

“Because of that, they were able to neutralize them. So, it led to the death of three persons, and they called the police to come for them. This is exactly what the military commander told me. I went back to the police commander, and he told me the same story,” the MCE said.

Although the cause of the fight was not revealed, Mr Zanga believes that a series of cases that led to the death of some individuals in Bawku may have contributed to the incident.

He explained that a week before this incident, one man was killed, a Mamprusi man was also killed, and three days later, six people were shot not far away from a police station.

“This led to the instant death of one Mossi man, and then the following morning, a 17-year-old died through that incident. Now, four of the victims are currently hospitalised,” Mr. Zanga said.

“Then we heard of another incident in Bolgatanga, of which somehow others related it to the Bawku case. So, because of that, gunshots started in the whole Bawku,” he added.

The MCE also indicated that there have been cases in Bawku where people have gone about firing gunshots without any reason.

This comes after three more people were reported dead in Bawku.

Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, who shared this information revealed that they were shot by some soldiers.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ayariga refuted the claims that the deceased young men engaged in a gunfight with the military, as put out by the MCE.

He insisted that the deceased men were innocent, adding that eyewitness testimony says otherwise.

“Eyewitnesses saw everything that happened. These boys were not exchanging fire with anybody; they were actually apprehended. They were sitting [when the soldiers approached]; one ran away, but the others were sitting because they had done nothing wrong.”

“They picked them up; the assemblyman came out and pleaded for them to release the boys. They refused, and ultimately they shot the boys,” he said.

Mr Ayariga noted that the military would not openly admit to their alleged crime if it incriminated them.

“When soldiers do that, do you expect to come and tell us we just beat them because they annoyed us and we started shooting them? Naturally, the security persons who have committed the acts will cover their tracks.”