Filed by: Tinaa Adams Musa/RadioMak
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Lambussie Constituency, Professor Titus Beyuo, has appealed to the Interior Ministry to lift the curfew imposed on Hamile and its environs following the deadly explosion near the border which claimed three lives including a staff of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
The call comes after the situation had led to increased tensions amongst residents and security personnel resulting in the imposition of the 11-hrs curfew from dusk to dawn by the Minister of Interior.
While the curfew hours has since been revised to begin from 10pm to 4am, the MP wants total lifting of the restriction. According to him, the situation has been brought under control, thus, the need to give full freedom back to the people to go about their economic and social lives.
The MP, who was in India when the incident occurred, said he had to cut his trip short and returned home to engage stakeholders in search of an amicable resolution to the unfortunate development. The swift stakeholder engagement and intervention resulted in the de-escalation of the situation, he noted, hence the need for a total lifting of the curfew.
In a phone interview with Tinaa Adams on Radio Mak Morning Talk, Professor Beyuo explained that the recent development had led the youth to go on rampage, vandalizing properties and threatening to set the GIS office ablaze. He said the residents blamed the dynamite explosion, which killed two residents, on immigration officials after they allegedly pursued and fired at the tricycle containing the dynamite.
The MP attributed the rage to an underlying mistrust between the community and immigration officials in the area which stemmed from an incident last year where the GIS was accused of aiding Burkina Faso security to arrest residents in Hamile.
The recent tensions in the area has also led to 13 people sustaining gun injuries after security personnel tried to stop protesters from executing their plan to burn the immigration office in the area over the death of the two youngsters from the explosion.
The legislator mentioned that his office will absorb the medical bills of all the injured people who are receiving medical attention and responding to treatment.
Meanwhile, the chiefs and residents in the area have joined the MP in his appeal, bemoaning that the continuous stay of the curfew will gravely affect revenue mobilisation of the Lambussie District Assembly as Hamile is the major economic hub of the district.
Edited by: Hafiz Timbile Adams
