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A small settlement of Fulani from the Widnaba community in the Bawku West district of the Upper East region was attacked at midnight on Monday.
The attack was reportedly carried out by angry local youths, who suspected the Fulani to be behind recent armed robberies and motorcycle snatching in the region.
Some 18 mud houses belonging to the Fulani were set on fire and reduced to ashes.
Valuable goods, including health insurance cards and cash, were reportedly burned or stolen during the raid.
Children in the area are said to have fled their homes in nearby bushes, apparently on the instructions of their Fulani parents, who feared they would be killed. However, the children returned to the community the next morning.
Police said the youths carried out the attacks because a stolen motorcycle was found in the home of one of the Fulani.
A Regional Security Council [REGSEC] A team led by Upper East Regional Minister Stephen Yakubu visited the region on Monday afternoon to inspect the damage and ensure the safety of the Fulani community.
Haruna Sulemana, a local Fulani who was not at home at the time of the incident, told reporters that he was called and informed that his people were under attack and that by the time he arrived with the police, the damage had already been done, and the attackers were nowhere to be found.
“Actually, we don’t know what caused the problem because we didn’t do anything [wrong]. We were in Zebilla, and I got a call saying that some people attacked our people here, so we should bring the police. So I rushed to the police station and informed the police, but when I got here with the police, I found out that our people had run away and they [the assailants] everything burned, ”Sulemana said.
“Our rooms, our mothers’ rooms, everything! I don’t know what they released [of the houses]. Everything was burnt. Our food, corn, rags, motorcycles; everything including health insurance [cards], Ghana’s identity cards and cards have all been burnt, ”he added.
Upper East Regional Police Commander Dr Sayibu Pabi Gariba, DCOP, who was at the scene with the REGSEC team, told reporters that police discovered cattle belonging to the Fulani were also killed. during the attacks, while some properties were reportedly stolen by the attackers. .
“Our information indicates that some unidentified men from Widnaba attacked the Fulani community, burned their houses, killed their animals, [and] stole their property, ”he said.
“The Ghana Police Service does not promote instant justice. For example, if a motorcycle is lost or stolen and you find it at someone’s home, the best thing to do is report to the police. [but] this; They did not do it. We are investigating and I can assure you that we will get to the bottom of this matter and anyone who is arrested will be treated according to the law, ”said DCOP Dr Gariba.
Upper East Regional Minister Stephen Yakubu assured the Fulani community of government support.
He asked their leaders to compile the names of all those who have lost documents such as identity cards and health insurance cards, so that they can be helped by the government to have them replaced.
In collaboration with the regional office of NADMO, the regional minister also presented relief items to the Fulani community.
The items included soap, mattresses, rice, cooking oil, mosquito nets and coils, plates, cups, plastic basins and used clothing.
“When we have more items as we look for them, we will bring them to put you at ease so that you can gradually get back to your normal life,” Stephen Yakubu told the Fulani.
The national organizer of the Fulani association Ahmed Barry, who also visited the community, appealed to the security agencies for justice to be done.
“When problems like this arise, it creates a lot of tension in the Fulani community. A crime is a crime. Consider it a crime. Let’s not treat crime like a tribe. The Fulani is not a crime, so when we are dealing with a crime let’s deal with the people who committed the crime and not the tribe, ”Barry chided.
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