Accra [Ghana], April 12: Ghanaian police have beefed up security in several communities in the northeastern region following recent unrest that left one person dead and five others injured in Bawku, a municipal district in the Upper East Region.
According to a press release by the Ghana Police Service late Thursday, the police sent a high-powered delegation to the troubled area following renewed unrest on Wednesday, during which one person died while five others, including a police officer and an immigration officer, sustained gunshot wounds.
Moreover, it said several police properties were damaged, including two vehicles, a rented police accommodation, and the houses of some police officers.
"Security has since been intensified at Bawku and surrounding communities as joint police and military patrols continue," the statement said.
According to local media, violence broke out on Wednesday when youths from one of the Bawku chieftaincy factions allegedly sought to prevent the other faction from patronizing their market.
In an attempt to restore order, the police reportedly shot and killed one person and injured five others. Some houses were burnt down in retaliation for the police's actions.
Bawku has been a flashpoint for communal violence in recent years, fueled by a protracted chieftaincy dispute.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
