Bawku: Gun Battle Over Facebook Post Leaves One Dead

A stray bullet from gunshots of unknown persons in Bawku hit and killed a 25 year old Karibu Osman, in a confrontation sparked by a voice mail on a tape.

The tape being circulated on social media was said to have despised a particular ethnic group in the area.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Benjamin Ofori Acquah, Divisional Crime Officer for Bawku confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Bawku.

He explained that the Assembly Member for the Possum Electoral Area, Mr Tahiru Kondima, called at about 1700hours on June 18, on phone and reported that a group of youth from one of the ethnic groups in the Bawku Municipality had attacked one Alhaji IMoro's house at Possum.

According to DSP Acquah, Police officers were immediately detailed to the scene and found out that some rampaging youth had attacked the said house and destroyed several items in the house including; Louvre blades, chairs, PVC pipes among others.

He explained that some residents rushed to the scene and helped to extinguish the fire, adding that the reaction to burn the house was provoked by a voice mail sent by one Faisal Imoro, a resident of Techiman, but native of Bawku that sought to despise one of the ethnic groups in Bawku over mistrust and suggested to his compatriots to voluntarily contribute to acquire an ambulance.

He said the voice mail which was circulating on social media did not go down well with one of the groups referred to in the voice mail and therefore went on rampage.

The Divisional Crime Officer said on June 19, at about 2300hours, there were intermittent gunshots heard from the Kariama section of the township apparently in response to the earlier attack until about 0400hours on June 20, while some residents were going to perform the dawn prayers when they saw the dead body that was later confirmed as Karibu Osman.

He said the body of Osman was taken to the Bawku Presbyterian hospital where a post-mortem confirmed cause of death as haemorrhagic shock and penetrating injury to the chest.

He added that the body had since been handed over to the family for burial.

Mr Acquah said the Police Administration in Bawku had beefed up the security in the area to ensure that residents went about their daily activities without fear, adding that Bawku was calm.

GNA