72-year-old man shot dead at Kandiga in Upper East Region

A 72–year-old man was on Friday shot dead at Kandiga in the Kassena Nankana Municipal (KNM), Upper East Region, after a two-day violent conflict between the Doba Community in the Kassena Naakana West District and Kandiga.

The two communities share boundaries and have over the past years disagreed over the ownership of a piece of land on which an old structure that has been earmarked to be renovated and converted to a Police Station is sited.

According to Police Superintendent Francis Agyare, the KNM Police Commander, the conflict started last Wednesday when the people of Doba noticed that the old structure was being renovated by the Kandiga people.

He said it was quickly put under control by a joint force of the military and the police but after calm had returned, an unidentified person, two days later, shot the old man who was standing in front of his house.

Following the incident, the KNM imposed restrictions on movement of people in the two communities and beefed up security to maintain calm.

A statement issued by the Municipal Assembly and copied to the media, said: “in accordance with the Imposition of Restriction Act 2020, Act 1020 and on the authority of the Upper East Regional Security Council, the Kasena-Nankana Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC) in conjunction with the District Security Committee of the Kasena-Nankana West District Assembly, hereby announce for the information of the general public, especially the chiefs and people of Doba and Kandiga traditional area, that restriction of movement of persons within the area has been imposed, from 6:00pm to 8:00am each day beginning from Friday 24th April, 2020 until further notice”.

The statement added that it was prohibited to carry arms or other similar harmful implements in the area and anybody who flouts the directives will be dealt with accordingly by the security services.

Meanwhile, the security in the area is maintaining calm while the shooting incident is being investigated.