Bawku has gone 150 days without gunfire – Interior Minister

The Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, says the volatile Bawku area has gone 150 days without gunfire, describing the development as evidence of an improvement in the security situation.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, October 12, 2026, he said security operations and peacebuilding efforts had helped contain violence that previously spread beyond Bawku to other communities.

“150 days, no gunshots,” he said.

According to the Minister, the improvement has allowed the authorities to ease the curfew in Bawku to between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

He recalled that restrictions had previously covered periods from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and, at one stage, from 4 p.m. to 6 a.m.

“When the curfew is 10 to 5, it tells you that it has largely eased,” he said.

Mr Muntaka said residents were also now permitted to ride motorbikes between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., following years of restrictions.

“They were not riding motorbikes for almost five years. Today, they are riding motorbikes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” he stated.

He indicated that the government was assessing the situation to determine whether the remaining restrictions could be lifted.

“And very soon, we'll be reviewing. Very soon, we may even lift it completely,” he said.

Asked whether he was considering lifting the Bawku curfew, he responded: “No, the curfew and then the motorbike riding. But we are obviously analysing the situation.”

Reflecting on the violence in 2025, Mr Muntaka said retaliatory attacks had spread beyond the conflict zone, affecting communities including Binduri, Nalerigu and Walewale, with buses attacked along highways.

He said the situation placed considerable pressure on the security authorities, particularly when the violence extended to students in secondary schools.

“I mean, and I can bet you, these were periods that I could hardly sleep,” he said.

The Minister explained that the response combined security interventions with mediation, including the involvement of the National Peace Council.

He also cited a reduction in the number of curfews nationwide as an indication of improving security, saying Ghana began 2025 with about 11 curfews and ended the year with about nine.

“As we speak, we have only three more curfews,” he said.

Mr Muntaka maintained that the country’s security situation had improved, while acknowledging that crime remained a challenge.

“Ghana is much safer even today than it was in 2025,” he said.

“We are doing everything possible to ensure that you can go about your duties without necessarily having to be watching your back.”

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