The usually bustling border town of Hamile is on the verge of breathing a sigh of relief as the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Samuel Basintale, led a high-stakes peace dialogue after a deadly explosion and subsequent clashes brought the town’s economy to its knees.
The Comptroller-General’s intervention follows a tragic incident on November 3,on an unapproved route known as “Mountain Back 2”.
The incident left one immigration officer dead, tricycle riders dead in a dynamite explosion, and 11 civilians injured during a confrontation with security forces.
The visit, aimed at mending fractured relations between the community and security agencies, began with an inspection of the quarter guard parade at the forecourt of Ministries Block B. The Comptroller-General subsequently met with members of the Upper West Regional Security Council to obtain a comprehensive briefing on the volatile situation before travelling to Hamile.
The Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP Francis Yiribaare, represented the council’s chairman.
Providing an update on the situation, a security official said:
“Just to add that the number of people who were injured in the course of those confrontations, nine so far have been discharged and scheduled for various dates for review. At the moment, the curfew is still ongoing, and we are enforcing it with all our might. We continue to keep our integrated team in Hamile to support the process, and we are also happy to witness the opening, the reopening, and the limited opening of the border. Business is not open today, but we are going to watch this opening.”
The Comptroller-General, Samuel Basintale, warned that closing the border for even six hours could create severe traffic congestion, noting that large crowds gathering between stationary vehicles could become difficult to control.
“Mali is now using it a lot for their cargo, and you close it for even six hours; look at the traffic that builds up there. I don’t think it is in the interest [of security], as that could even compound our security situation. Because if people mass up in between the vehicles, that becomes difficult to control. So it is better to process them quickly and let the trucks move than to lock it for whatever reason.”
Upon arriving at the border post, the Comptroller-General was welcomed by the Hamile Centre Commander, Chief Superintendent Mohammed Abdul Mananu, who provided a detailed and harrowing account of the events of November 3.
According to Commander Mananu, the crisis began when two officers attempted to stop a tricycle allegedly carrying dynamite along the Mountain Back 2 route.
A massive explosion ensued, uprooting trees and leaving one officer dead and another fighting for his life. The chaos spilled over to the immigration office, where an angry mob of young people besieged the premises, hurling stones and burning tyres. When military and police reinforcements arrived, the situation escalated into gunfire, resulting in injuries to 11 residents.
The Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP Francis Yiribaare, also briefed the delegation, assuring them that the security situation had since stabilised. He noted that the community had been cooperative and that the enforcement of a revised curfew, from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., had met no resistance.
Speaking through the Assembly Member for the Happa Electoral Area, the Happa Divisional Chief, Hiller Dyaka Thomas Badukun III, welcomed the delegation and painted a grim picture of the town’s current state. He emphasised that the curfew had paralysed local businesses, preventing women from cooking and selling, while bringing cross-border trade to a standstill.
Chairman of the Hamile Development Committee, Ibrahim Mohammed, adopted a conciliatory tone. He offered a heartfelt apology on behalf of the community, acknowledging its role in the unrest.
He also passionately appealed for the immediate clearance of the massive backlog of cargo trucks stranded at the border, highlighting the severe hardships currently facing women and children.
Adding to the community’s concerns, youth representative Mohammed Ibrahim assured the Comptroller-General that the youth were committed to ensuring that such violence never happened again. He appealed for the curfew to be lifted and requested that junior immigration officers exercise greater patience and restraint when interacting with residents and cross-border travellers.
“We shouldn’t always come to war-war, but to jaw-jaw for peace to always prevail,” the Comptroller-General said, using the popular phrase to urge the community to prioritise dialogue over violence.
He expressed deep concern over the use of unapproved bush routes by smugglers to traffic weapons and synthetic drugs such as Tramadol, which he warned were destroying the local youth. He challenged the community to stop shielding those involved in such illicit activities.
Addressing the community’s grievances about unprofessional conduct by some officers, Mr Basintale acknowledged that prolonged postings could lead to complacency. He promised to transfer personnel who had overstayed their postings and committed to helping clear the backlog of trucks.
Crucially, he announced a new “Community Engagement and Policing” initiative for the region. He also promised to recommend the lifting of the restrictive curfew to the Minister of the Interior by Monday, provided local leaders could guarantee sustained peace.
The visit concluded with a sombre trip to the scene of the explosion at Mountain Back 2. There, the Comptroller-General and his entourage witnessed firsthand the sheer destructive force of the blast, a stark reminder of the fragile line between security operations and tragedy at the border.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Source link
