10 remanded into prison custody over alleged involvement in violence at Bawku

Mrs. Susana Eduful, presiding judge of Circuit Court 3, in Accra, has remanded 10 individuals, including a 17-year-old into prison custody, following their arraignment for unlawful possession of firearms and preparation to commit a violent crime.

The accused appeared before the court on Thursday, August 7, 2025 following a joint security operation atZaabuZongo, a suburb of Bawku.

The accused, aged between 17 and 37, were arrested on August 5, 2025, during a cordon and search operation conducted by the Joint Peace Enforcement Team.

All, except one, were present in court for the hearing.

Each of the accused pleaded not guilty, including RaufNaziru, a 19-year-old blacksmith, who admitted that the items were found in his room but claimed they were not firearms.

Naziru explained that the 15 M16 empty shells, 7 AK47 empty shells and 9 G3 empty shells recovered from his possession were materials he used to craft rings and scrapers.

Those remanded include: RaufNaziru, Issaka Tijani, 34, AbdulaiSumailaGatuso, 17, a carpenter, Muniru Abubakarm Naro, 21, Issaka Yakubu, 19, Sulemana Abdul Basit Ayede, 37, BukariSalifuMonaaba, 34, Yakim Ibrahim, 35 and Adam Hanisu Hanif, 34.

Prosecutor ASP IssahAchibari informed the court that investigations were still ongoing and requested that the accused be held in custody.

The court granted the request and directed the prosecution to serve all disclosures to the accused. The case was adjourned to September 1, 2025.

Charges:

1. Possession of firearms without lawful authority, contrary to the Arms and Ammunition Act, 1972 (NRCD 9), as amended.
2. Preparation to commit a crime, specifically offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace, under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

Brief Facts

According to police reports, a joint military-police operation on August 5 led to the discovery of ammunition in the possession of RaufNaziru and IssakaTijani.

Both were unable to provide any lawful justification.

The remaining accused were arrested within the same vicinity during curfew hours. Security officers alleged they were gathering without any clear purpose, which raised suspicion given the restrictions in place. The operation was conducted under the command of Captain D.Z. Mahama.

The accused persons and the recovered items were handed over to the Anti-Armed Robbery Unit on August 6, 2025.

All were subsequently cautioned and detained.

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