Military personnel stationed in Bawku on Tuesday, November 5, reopened the offices of the Municipal Assembly, which had been forcibly shut by unidentified individuals amidst ongoing chieftaincy clashes in the area.
On Monday, November 4, a group of unidentified men allegedly locked down both the Bawku Municipal Assembly and Binduri District Assembly in the Upper East Region.
According to sources from Citi News, the group demanded the arrest of Alhaji Seidu Abagre before they would allow the offices to reopen.
The unrest escalated after Seidu Abagre, a rival chief installed by the Nayiri, returned to Bawku on October 26. Abagre had previously been in exile following a February 2023 arrest warrant related to his contested installation.
However, on October 17, 2024, a High Court in Kumasi quashed the warrant, paving the way for his return. His presence has reignited the longstanding chieftaincy dispute, resulting in deadly clashes that have claimed at least two lives and left several injured.
In response to the unrest, essential services in Bawku have been severely disrupted. Teachers and students have vacated schools due to safety concerns, while the Ghana Water Company Limited and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) have suspended operations in the town, leaving residents with limited access to water and electricity.
Authorities have imposed a 6 am to 6 pm curfew on Bawku, enforced by security personnel, to maintain order as the community braces for potential further violence