A former assemblyman aspirant for Wuru in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region, Sadat Ibrahim, has reportedly gone missing in what residents suspect to be an abduction by soldiers from neighbouring Burkina Faso, according to myjoyonline.com report on March 16, 2026.

The disappearance has sparked anxiety among residents of the border community, who are demanding his immediate release and calling on authorities to intervene.

According to residents, Ibrahim, a youth leader in the area, was last seen on March 4, 2026, when he travelled to the Burkinabè border town of Kounou to assist a relative seeking medical care.

A relative who accompanied him told JoyNews that Ibrahim briefly stepped out of the hospital while they waited in a queue to see a doctor but never returned.

“He took me to the hospital and stepped out for a moment while I was in the queue waiting to be attended to but after several hours he did not come back. Up to now, I do not know where he is,” the relative said.

Family members later returned to the hospital the following morning to search for him. One of Ibrahim’s brothers claimed he saw a Burkinabè security officer sitting on Ibrahim’s motorbike while conversing with a doctor at the facility.

Residents believe Ibrahim may have been targeted over accusations that he provided information to Ghanaian security agencies under the government’s “See Something, Say Something” campaign.

According to them, the information allegedly led to the arrest of 17 Burkinabè soldiers who were reportedly found occupying Ghanaian territory illegally and were subsequently detained by personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service and the military in Tumu late last year.

Residents say following the arrest of the soldiers, Ibrahim was accused of being responsible and was reportedly threatened with retaliation if he entered Burkinabè territory.

“They accused my brother after those soldiers were arrested and said they would deal with him whenever he came to their side. We are pleading with whoever is holding him to release him,” a resident said.

Meanwhile, residents are also demanding justice over the killing of another community member, a livestock trader popularly known as Akorugu.

His body was discovered on February 15, 2026, along the road linking the Ghanaian community of Kulmasa and Pien, a border village in Burkina Faso.

According to residents, the trader’s body bore multiple gunshot wounds.

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They said Burkinabè security personnel who later transported the body accused him of supplying fuel, food, medical supplies and other logistics to militants of Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a rebel group believed to be operating from the Nazinga Forest in Burkina Faso.

However, residents have rejected the allegations, insisting that the deceased was a well-known livestock trader who regularly travelled across the border to conduct business.

The Assemblyman for the Kunchokor–Wuru Electoral Area also expressed surprise at the claims, noting that the trader was widely known for his legitimate business activities in markets across the border. Residents say the incidents have heightened fear and uncertainty among people in Wuru and nearby communities, many of whom frequently cross the Ghana–Burkina Faso border for trade and other essential activities.

They are therefore calling on the Government of Ghana and security agencies to engage their Burkinabè counterparts to investigate the incidents, ensure justice for the deceased trader and intensify diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Sadat Ibrahim.

Authorities at the Sissala East District Assembly have confirmed that diplomatic efforts are underway to help locate and secure the release of the missing youth leader, although his exact whereabouts remain unknown.



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