The Ghana Armed Forces(GAF) has debunked claims that some of its officers deliberately opened fire on innocent Bawku civilians, killing three of them in the process.
The GAF, in a press release dated January 20, stated that at about 8:30 pm on Thursday, January 18, their officers, conducting night foot patrols around Hasania School at Sabongari, were shot at by four gunmen.
The officers, they said, returned fire, subsequently killing three of the gunmen while the fourth escaped.
“Troops retrieved one AK-47 rifle loaded with 16 rounds of 7.62 x 39 mm ammunition. Ghana police team arrived at the location subsequently to convey the deceased assailants to the morgue.
“The AK-47 rifle with serial number 81-1/13024074 inspected by Bawku Divisional Police personnel is currently in their own custody,” parts of the statement read.
The GAF said that already heightened tensions in Bawku, which resulted in the death of four individuals the week prior, prompted increased security and patrol.
They explained that on Thursday, the day of the incident, their officers were shot at by unknown gunmen, and later, the police foiled an attempt by two locals to blow up the Bawku Goil filling station.
“In as much as GAF regrets the demise of the assailants, the escalating violence in the Bawku general area is unfortunate.
“The presence and attempt to detonate high explosives such as RPG bombs in the operational environment signposts the changing dynamics of the threat profile,” they added.
This comes after the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, called out the Ghana Armed Forces for allegedly shooting three innocent men without any reason.