The Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has cautioned police personnel at Binduri and its environs in the Upper East Region to remain impartial, rather than neutral, in their operations.

“The police should not be neutral in Bawku. They should be impartial. Simply put, you are not a friend to any of the feuding parties. You are interested in them coming together and living peacefully,” he explained.

His remarks follow rising public concerns over the breakdown of law and order at Bawku, where reports indicate that one faction has turned their weapons on security personnel.

Toobu described this development as “very, very dangerous. There shouldn’t be a point where the impartial arbiter, the person in the middle to create a buffer and bring peace, becomes a party to the matter and is being attacked.”

The MP also called for the ongoing Bawku conflict to be treated as a national crisis, urging a more strategic, sophisticated, and impartial approach to resolving the unrest.

Speaking in an interview on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday April 14, 2025, the retired police officer expressed deep concern over the escalating violence at Bawku, which has recently claimed the lives of police officers and continues to witness deadly clashes between feuding factions.

“Let me first of all convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the Ghana Police Service, having lost some men in the field,” he stated solemnly.

Toobu further advised security personnel deployed to the volatile area to exercise the highest levels of caution, with the risks involved.

“When the risk is high, and Bawku has become a red zone, people in uniform must be extremely careful.

“You don’t go anywhere in town alone. You don’t go into town when you’re not in uniform. You don’t go into town when you’re not permitted by your command. It is restrictive for a reason,” he added.

Drawing from his years of service in the Ghana Police Service, he pointed out the troubling proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the region, warning of the potential for radicalisation and exploitation by criminal networks.

“It is a big challenge, and we all believe that we need to do something very seriously to prevent it, very particularly in a volatile area like Bawku,” he said.

The MP also welcomed the president’s recent declaration that Bawku is a national priority and gave his support for the Otumfuo-led mediation process.

“We have the political will now to do what is needful. That is why I support the president. He has appointed Otumfuo. The Otumfuo-led mediation team is the one that will have to drive a solution and bring that to bear,” he added.

Toobu concluded by urging all stakeholders to depoliticise the conflict and approach the situation as a matter of national unity.

“This conflict requires some level of sophistication in handling. This is not a party matter. It is a national conflict. And we must treat it that way,” he added.

VA/AE

Meanwhile, watch how Annor-Dompreh slams IGP over promise to recruit Bawku residents: