Mr Ali Anankpieng of the Upper East Regional Peace Council has urged for co-operation between security services in North East and Upper East Regions curb increasing reports of violence around the two areas.
Mr Anankpieng said though major issues of skirmishes is still in Bawku,continuous violence in the area was a challenge and worry to people living and traveling along corridors of Bawku unfit since people going to Bawku, Tamale Cinkanse and to the south through Walewale areas fear for their lives which he said needs urgent attention.
“Once it concerns the two regions there is need for more cooperation between the north East and Upper East Regions because it is a wide area and one region cannot shoulder it alone especially on the Tamale Bolgatanga road and Bawku to Cinkanse for the security services there”. He stressed and added that increased cooperation will enable the security services to put in measures to map out places and put in efforts.
The Peace Officer made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
In response to the skirmishes , he said , earlier this year , due to the violence in communities even close to Bawku, the security put in measures to aid traveling around through escorts for people to travel safely around to Cinkanse to transact their businesses.
He said once there were skirmishes also around the north East, an increased cooperation was needed to help map out strategies for interventions by the security.
Over the weekend, two people were killed, one a teacher with Zamse senior High Technical Institute in Bolgatanga who went there to transact business ,also an old person aged 80 years who was shot in the thigh as a result tearing his skin into pieces at Bazua when he was resting in his house.
Mr Anankpieng urged that there should be increased intelligence capabilities of the security services which he also advised required support of the public to curb any incidences before they happen.
He however, added that people who share intelligence with police should also be given feedback and be acknowledged by the security for those people to help the police to do more.
He said the police cannot know everything if people do not share information since “Security is shared responsibility”.
Responding to infiltration of guns in areas like Bawku and environs, he said the Peace Council hoped to increase sensitization in communities for general security and peace building.