Bawku has gone 150 days without gunfire – Interior Minister

Interior Minister Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka announced on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show that the volatile Bawku area has remained free of gunfire for 150 consecutive days, signifying a marked improvement in the security situation. Security operations and peacebuilding efforts have effectively contained violence that previously spread to neighboring communities such as Binduri, Nalerigu, and Walewale, causing buses to be attacked along highways.

As a result, the curfew in Bawku has been eased from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., allowing residents to ride motorbikes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., a restriction that had been in place for almost five years. Muntaka stated that authorities are assessing the situation to determine if further restrictions can be lifted.

He acknowledged that retaliatory attacks had placed considerable pressure on security forces, particularly affecting students in secondary schools, a period during which he could hardly sleep. The Minister emphasized that the response to violence involved both security interventions and mediation, including the involvement of the National Peace Council.

He also noted a reduction in the number of curfews nationwide, with Ghana beginning 2025 with around 11 curfews and ending the year with approximately nine, leaving only three curfews remaining. Muntaka confirmed that Ghana is safer today compared to 2025, stating that authorities are doing everything possible to ensure citizens can go about their duties without fearing for their safety.