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Three people were reportedly killed and some 10 houses burned down in the Kandiga and Doba communities in the Upper Oriente region after a dispute over land.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Francis Oppong Agyare, the commander of the Kassena-Nankana municipal police, who confirmed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said that of the number of people killed, two were men and one woman.
He said that officials from the municipal security services, responding to a call for help, found some of the houses on fire.
Police called officials from the Ghana National Fire Service to extinguish the fire, adding that “we were able to save many houses that would have been burned down.”
“We have made a series of arrests, so far we have arrested 11 people and they are in our custody and they are preparing for court in the shortest time possible.”
“We were also able to recover some weapons from them; one pump action pistol and three single-barreled handguns, twelve live tanks. “
DSP Agyare said security in the area has been strengthened and calm has been restored in the area.
“We take no risks, we will make sure that the place returns to normal and the inhabitants can carry out their usual tasks without any obstacles.”
DSP Agyare said there was a land dispute between the Doba and Kandiga communities that the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) had been handling for months.
He explained that “we were handling it for some time until yesterday when a 23-year-old man was murdered on the way to his farm.
This young man was from Kandiga but was in league with Chief Doba, so he was killed by people believed to have come from Kandiga, he claimed.
“That is what we have seen, initially what started as a conflict between Kandiga and Doba later turned into an intra-conflict between some members of the Kandiga community itself, and they were targeting those who believe they aligned themselves with Chief Doba,” DSP Agyare said.
There has been a long-standing dispute between the people of Doba and Kandiga over the land, which forced the municipal security council to impose a twelve-hour curfew on the two communities in recent months.
When the GNA visited the two communities, some residents of Kandiga had packed their luggage and were leaving the community.
The others sat at the customs control on the Navrongo-Bolgatanga highway with their luggage.
The city was deserted at 12:00 pm when the GNA visited. Most of the shops and houses were closed, while a combined team of military and police personnel sat at strategic points to ensure peace in the area.
Some residents, including children from Kandiga, who were sitting at the checkpoint, shared their experiences and called on the government to intervene and ensure that peace is restored.
Atogewelige Akolbire, 80, said he was always inside due to his age and therefore had no idea what started the riot.
“They took me to this place for safety. I want to appeal to the government to come to our aid ”.
Another resident, Mrs. Rebecca Apuri, said that “our concern is that the security personnel who work here are not helping us.”
“If both communities are under a curfew, how could people break in and shoot weapons to kill? If the curfew had been strictly enforced, I don’t think this would have happened. “
