The Ministry of Interior has said it cannot be held liable for recent clashes at Bimbilla in the Northern region.
Sporadic shooting involving some butchers and guards of the regent of Nanumba resulted in the death of 8 persons on Thursday.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ooc9uAXY35l1XaicN90DaOZZNGkSE9dr”]Some butchers allegedly refused to present a portion of their meat to the chief in the area as demanded by tradition, sparking clashes between the butchers and guards.
Many have blamed government for the incident, saying it failed to put in stringent measures to forestall the unfortunate incident.
However speaking on Eyewitness News, the deputy Interior Minister dismissed criticisms levelled against government and his outfit, saying they handled the situation well.
“I wont say what happened in Bimbilla is a failure on the part of government. That statement will be far fetched.Anybody who will say that what happened was a failure on our part has not got a proper appreciation of the real issues on the ground.”
Mr. Agalga stressed that contrary to the widely-held view, government has “worked tirelessly to restore calm to Bimbilla and it has been very successful.”
“For your information, we have maintained presence in terms of security agencies. The Police have maintained presence since the issue broke out but what happened yesterday was out of our imagination and that is why we sent security officers,” the Minister explained.
He further indicated that efforts to permanently restore peace in the area have proved futile because “people take the law into their own hands.”
Curfew reviewed
In a related development, government has reviewed curfew hours imposed on the Bimbilla township from the previous 6am to 6pm back to the normal 4pm to 6pm.
Mr. Agalga asked residents in the area to “stick to the curfew” in order to forestall further clashes.
He further revealed that security agencies are on the ground to ensure that residents abide by the curfew.
“The security agencies are on the ground, they have very clear instructions to enforce the curfew very strictly.”
“We further call on all inhabitants, the natives of Bimbilla to abide strictly by the curfew time and also make sure that they use peaceful means to iron out their differences,” the Minister further appealed.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah