In the town of Bawku, four individuals have been apprehended on suspicion of planning and participating in a violent gun assault that led to the tragic death of nine passengers and caused injuries to an additional 17 people in Pusiga.
The suspects, identified as Majeed Issaka, Rauf Anatem, and two others whose identities have not been disclosed, were found and arrested in their Bawku hideout by a combined force of military and police personnel. The information was obtained by the Ghanaian Times.
The suspects were held at the Bawku Divisional Police Station, and it was expected that they would soon be brought before a court.
The horrific incident took place around 8:30 am on a Thursday, in the vicinity of the Gbewaa College of Education in Pusiga. At the time of the attack, the police were escorting a group of traders traveling to Cinkasse in Togo.
Since the incident, both Pusiga and Bawku, along with their surrounding areas, have experienced a relative calmness.
The Mamprugu Youth Association (MAYA), Bawku Chapter, issued a statement to the Ghanaian Times in which they expressed their condemnation of the heinous act. They urged the security forces to apprehend those responsible for the crime and restore peace and order in the area.
In the same statement, the group criticized the Bawku Central legislator, Mahama Ayariga, for referring to the recent Pusiga attack as a ‘retaliatory attack’.
On Friday, September 22 of this year, Mr. Ayariga issued a statement in which he expressed concern that this act could undermine the recent improvements in Bawku’s security situation. He described the shooting of passenger vehicles in the Bawku areas and along the Walewale route as cowardly, senseless, and unacceptable. He stated that such ‘retaliatory shootings’ must stop, and urged the soldiers to take strong action against such atrocious acts.
However, MAYA took issue with Mr. Ayariga’s use of the term ‘retaliatory attack’ in his statement, arguing that it seemed to justify the cold-blooded murder of innocent individuals who lost their lives in the recent attack.
They urged Mr. Ayariga and five other lawmakers from the eastern part of the region to set aside any biases and tribal sentiments, and to demonstrate leadership by making a significant contribution to resolving the conflict in the area.
