Security forces are in control of situation in Bawku – Dery
MPs are in Bawku to help find solutions to conflict - Derry
The Minister of Interior, Ambrose Dery, has said that even though the conflict in Bawku began as a chieftaincy dispute, criminals are beginning to take advantage of it.
He said that the involvement of criminal gangs has led to a threat of terrorism in the Upper East Regional capital town.
“The Bawku matter started as a chieftaincy one but right now criminals are trying to exploit the situation. Then of course, as you said there is a threat of extremism and we are trying to combine all this,” Dery said in an interview on the side-lines of a West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) event.
He, however, noted that, “Bawku is under control, there is relative peace…The police and the military have been fully in control, there have been instances where you have one or two people coming up to avert the peace and we are investigating those.”
“… what I can assure you is that we are fully in control of our territory and of our borders and there is really no chance that we are going to sit down and allow then to come,” he reiterated.
He said that concerted efforts are being made to properly resolve the issues in Bawku.
“… as I speak to you Members of Parliament from the Bawku area are in Bawku now speaking to their constituents. We do not want to control only the security situation, we also want people to live their lives normally,” he said.
