Interior Ministry eases curfew on Bawku municipality from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am

The Ministry of the Interior has reviewed the curfew imposed on Bawku Municipality and its environs in the Upper East Region, easing the restriction to run from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am.

The revised curfew takes effect from Tuesday, December 23, following advice from the National Security Council and approval by Executive Instrument.

The adjustment, announced in a statement signed by sector Minister Mohammed Muntaka-Mubarak, comes a day after authorities renewed an earlier curfew that ran from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am amid persistent security concerns in the area.

“Government calls on the Chiefs, Elders, Opinion Leaders, Youth and people of the area to exercise restraint in the face of the challenges confronting them as well as to use non-violent means to channel their energies into ensuring peace,” the statement said in part.

Despite the easing of hours, the Interior Ministry maintained a total ban on the carrying of arms, ammunition, or offensive weapons, as well as the riding of motorbikes within the municipality.

Bawku has experienced recurring security tensions in recent times, prompting sustained curfews and restrictions as authorities work to restore calm and protect lives and property.

Meanwhile, this comes amid renewed calls for calm following President John Dramani Mahama’s endorsement of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II-led Bawku Mediation Report, which affirmed Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the lawful Bawku Naba and urged all parties to comply with the recommendations.

The long-standing chieftaincy dispute between sections of the Kusasi and Mamprusi communities has periodically erupted into violence, disrupting lives and development in the area.