Five police officers were assaulted, and three service weapons were seized by an angry mob in the Saawie Community in the Upper West Region on Friday, December 5, while the officers were on a routine mission to help defuse communal tensions.
Police said two AK-47 rifles and one magazine remain unaccounted for, raising serious security concerns.
The Upper West Regional Police Command has since deployed massive reinforcements, arrested nine suspects, and issued a 24-hour ultimatum to community leaders to help recover two high-powered rifles still missing. Some of the suspects were found hiding under beds or attempting to flee the area.
According to a police situation report, the incident occurred at about 3:40 p.m. when a team from the Jirapa Municipal Police Command went to Saawie to investigate reports of threats to burn the houses of Fulani herdsmen, an issue that has long fueled tensions in the area.
The team, led by the Municipal Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) George Doe, comprised four other officers. Their visit was intended to invite local and opinion leaders for dialogue aimed at preventing inter-communal violence.
However, upon arrival, the officers were violently confronted by about 30 members of the community, resulting in serious injuries to all five officers.
During the attack, the assailants forcibly disarmed the officers and fled with two AK-47 rifles and one pistol.
In response, the Upper West Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Francis Yiribaare, ordered the immediate mobilisation of personnel from the Jirapa, Lawra, Wa, Nadowli and Nandom District Commands to undertake a rescue and containment operation.
The reinforcement team successfully rescued the injured officers, who were evacuated to St. Joseph Hospital in Jirapa for treatment. The Regional Commander later visited the officers and reported that they were responding positively to treatment.
A search operation was launched following the rescue, leading to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle without a magazine and one pistol.
Police also retrieved items believed to have been abandoned by other fleeing members of the mob, including three locally manufactured guns, two motorbikes, one tricycle, three deep freezers and a table-top fridge.
The suspects and retrieved items have been sent to the Wa Regional Police Headquarters for further interrogation and investigations.
DCOP Yiribaare has since engaged with the Chief and the Assembly Member of the Saawie Community and issued a warning on the gravity of the incident.
