By: Akua Oteng Amponsah
The Ashanti Regional Security Council has established potential connections between recent shootings in Kumasi and the long-running conflict in Bawku.
Two separate incidents, including the killing of the Kusasi Chief of the Ashanti Region, have heightened tensions in the region.
Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, Captain (Rtd) John Jabari, revealed that security agencies are pursuing four key suspects linked to the killings.
“The analogy that maybe some of these perpetrators are hitting the South is that they have some big men who have money to fuel this conflict,” Captain Jabari said.
He explained that intelligence suggests individuals of Bawku descent residing in the south may be targeted, particularly those suspected of financing one faction of the Bawku conflict.
“They think maybe this man is in the south and has money and is pumping [it] to one of the factions,” he added.
Captain Jabari noted that the situation has stabilised over the past 72 hours, with proactive steps being taken to maintain calm in the region. Security agencies are working closely with the Small Arms Commission to tackle arms trafficking.
“The measures put in place so far are reassuring,” said criminologist Dr Jones Opoku-Ware, commending the security response. Dr Opoku-Ware believes the current measures should be sufficient to intercept possible retaliatory attacks.
