A joint security council, made up of the Savannah Regional and Central Gonja District Councils, has condemned the killing of two individuals—mobile money vendor Majeed Mahama and passerby Rashid Gbenchilige—alongside the attacks and burning of the Fulbe community at Damongo Junction in the Central Gonja District.
Led by Savannah Regional Minister Salisu Be-Awuribe, the councils described the incidents in Gbeniyiri (Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District) and Damongo Junction as criminal acts and pledged to ensure that all perpetrators are brought to justice.
“I want to assure you that anyone responsible for destroying your property will be held accountable, regardless of their tribe or political affiliation. If we receive information about them, we will pursue them so that the law takes its course,” Mr. Salisu Be-Awuribe said.
He added, “We will not tolerate anyone committing a crime. Taking a human life is the gravest offense under the law. Security agencies are actively investigating to identify those who shot and killed these two innocent individuals.”
“All of us—whether Fulbe, Gonja, Dagomba, or from other communities—have a responsibility to provide any information, no matter how small, to security agencies. This will help them piece together the events and identify the culprits,” Mr. Be-Awuribe said.
The chairmen of the Savannah Regional and Central Gonja District Councils also urged residents to avoid making “blanket assumptions” about criminal activity in the area, noting that such generalizations unfairly punish innocent people.
Mr. Be-Awuribe made these remarks while leading a high-level delegation of security officials to Damongo Junction. The visit coincided with the three-day Islamic funeral prayers for the late Majeed Mahama and provided an opportunity to assess the destruction in the Fulbe community.
Savannah Regional Police Commander, DCOP David Amoako, has assured residents that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yuhonu, has deployed specialist personnel to the region to ensure that those responsible for the recent attacks are brought to justice.
“I urge everyone to have faith in our work. The IGP has sent additional officers to support the region so we can thoroughly investigate and arrest all individuals involved in the robberies and house burnings. They are on the ground and will ensure the job is carried out effectively,” DCOP Amoako said.
It will be recalled that on Sunday, March 8, a group of alleged armed robbers—seven men and a woman—stormed Damongo Junction at around 7 p.m., killing a mobile money vendor and a passerby during a robbery.
In the aftermath, some residents retaliated by attacking and burning houses belonging to members of the Fulbe community, displacing several families.
Officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) reported that more than 400 people from about 30 homes have been left homeless and are in urgent need of assistance.
News insight in the affected communities, along with information from the Savannah Regional Police Command, indicate that eight people have been shot and killed in the region over the past three weeks.
The first two victims were men returning from the Buipe livestock market—one was killed in Poro, and a week later, another lost his life in Gbeniyiri.
These deaths, particularly the second incident, are believed to have sparked the killing of four more people in the bush by unidentified assailants.
In addition, five others—including a seven-year-old boy—sustained injuries in robbery-related attacks, alongside the two victims who were killed at Damongo Junction.