Following the heinous killing of two police officers near Binduri in the Upper East Region last Sunday, the Ghana Police Administration has issued an urgent directive, banning the movement of police personnel and their families in the Bawku, Pusiga, and Binduri areas.
The chilling incident, carried out by unknown assailants, has heightened security concerns and exposed a disturbing trend of deliberate targeting of police officers and their relatives in the volatile enclave.
In a wireless message, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online, the police administration confirmed that “police personnel and their families have been targeted for possible assassination and attacks” in the region, including the nearby Garu area.
To mitigate the threat, the administration has immediately prohibited all non-operational movement of officers and their relatives within the affected zones. The statement stressed that “police personnel, both indigenes and non-indigenes, should immediately stay away from traveling to the Bawku, Pusiga and Binduri areas.”
Only personnel on official operational duties are permitted within the areas, and even so, they have been strictly directed to wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) and operate only under armoured escort.
Additionally, officers not in uniform have been barred from movement entirely, a move aimed at minimizing exposure and risk of surprise attacks.
Describing the situation as a “dangerous development,” the police wireless message warned of a rising wave of violence in the Bawku enclave, with unknown gunmen increasingly focusing their aggression on law enforcement agents and their loved ones.
The internal directive emphasized the urgency of the matter, instructing all personnel to treat the warning with utmost seriousness.
The Upper East Region, particularly the Bawku area, has witnessed sporadic violence in recent years, often rooted in complex chieftaincy and ethnic tensions. The latest escalation in attacks against police personnel adds a disturbing dimension to the conflict, prompting intensified security reviews and emergency protective measures for those serving in the region.
