Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has urged fellow legislators and social commentators to avoid politicising the Bawku conflict, given the area’s volatile situation. He emphasised that the roots of the Bawku conflict can be traced back to 1957, making it disingenuous for any political party to exploit it for “cheap” political gain.
Mr. Ayariga was responding to former Minister of Defence Dominic Nitiwul, the Member of Parliament for Bimbilla from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who criticised the incumbent government for failing to provide adequate funding and resources to the military to effectively address the Bawku crisis. Mr. Nitiwul made his comments during a debate on the Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament. He also refuted claims made by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson during the same review, stating that the government had supplied 3,500 motorbikes to security agencies.
Mr Ayariga, while clarifying issues on the floor of Parliament, remarked: “I have restrained myself from commenting on Bawku…I beg you, don’t politicise Bawku…let’s be sensitive to the volatile security situation in Bawku.” The Bawku Central legislator gave the assurance that the government was working tirelessly to bring lasting peace to the area.
The Bawku conflict has escalated in recent weeks with the killing of a Kusasi Chief in Asawase in Kumasi and the subsequent killing of two students at the Nalerigu Senior High School by unknown gunmen. Those killings have been linked to the Bawku ethnic conflict, thus sparking public outcry and demand for the government to act decisively to end the conflict.
Source: GNA
