A group of unidentified men allegedly shut down the Bawku Municipal Assembly and Binduri District Assembly in the Upper East Region in the early hours of Monday, November 4.
According to sources, the closures were carried out by an unidentified youth group demanding the arrest of Alhaji Seidu Abagre before reopening the offices.
Local journalist Ibrahim Agode reported to Citi News, “We can’t say for certain what sparked this action, but intelligence suggests that the youth group is behind the closure, insisting on Alhaji Seidu Abagre’s arrest as a condition for reopening the offices.”
“So, when you go to the Bawku Municipal Assembly the notice is written there that arrest Seidu Abagre or their next action is not going to be good. So that is what is happening now and then it is a similar thing that has happened at the Binduri District Assembly which happens to be one of the District Assemblies that is closest to the Bawku Municipal.
“So, they have also closed that facility. The things that were in front of the District Assembly, the DRIP vehicle and other vehicles have been parked away…For now, it is getting volatile. Just this morning there were exchanges of gunshots here and there. It has not been that cool since the return of the rival chief to Bawku,” he stated.
Abagre initially fled Bawku after an arrest warrant was issued against him following his contested installation as a chief in Nalerigu.
However, a High Court ruling in Kumasi on October 17, 2024, quashed the warrant, allowing him to return.
His arrival on October 26 sparked a resurgence of the long-standing chieftaincy dispute, resulting in gunfire that left two dead, and several others injured. The community now faces renewed tension and fears of further violence.
A 6:00 am to 6:00 pm curfew has been imposed, with security forces actively enforcing the restrictions to curb the unrest.
-Citi Newsroom