The Upper West Regional Police Command has confirmed the death of two persons and the arrest of two suspects following a violent clash between members of a family over a disputed piece of land in the region.
Speaking in an interview, the Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP Francis Yiribaare, described the incident as “very unfortunate” and disclosed that the clash escalated rapidly before police intervention.
“This is a very unfortunate situation here. We all have the information that just the latest part of the day yesterday, there was a clash of the family over a piece of land,” DCOP Yiribaare stated.
According to him, upon receiving information about the disturbance, the police immediately deployed their Quick Response Team (QRT) to the scene. However, by the time officers arrived, the situation had already deteriorated.
“On arrival, we discovered that the clash had gone too far, resulting in the death of one person right on the spot,” the Regional Commander revealed.
He further explained that another victim found unconscious at the scene was rushed to the hospital for urgent medical attention but later died, bringing the total number of fatalities from the incident to two.
“One that we met at the scene was also unconscious and was immediately rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, he also passed,” he added.
DCOP Yiribaare noted that the police have since commenced full-scale investigations into the incident, with the cooperation of residents in the area.
“The general public has been very cooperative since we started. We have processed the crime scene, and the management team covered and processed every particle that mattered in the issue,” he said.
As part of ongoing investigations, the police have arrested two suspects in connection with the clash.
According to the Regional Commander, one suspect is currently receiving medical treatment under police guard, while another was arrested in the early hours of the morning and remains in police custody.
“So far, one person is on admission but under police guard as a suspect, under arrest. We have one other individual who was also arrested in the later part of the dawn of this morning and is also in detention,” DCOP Yiribaare confirmed.
He assured the public that the police are committed to ensuring justice is served.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of it and ensuring that justice takes its own course,” he stressed.
Beyond the investigations, the Regional Police Commander used the opportunity to appeal to the affected family and the general public to resolve land and other disputes through peaceful and lawful means.
“I want to encourage the family to continue to revert to the police for every other issue surrounding this land or to the locals for a very peaceful resolution of the matter,” he advised, adding that violence only undermines peace and development.
He emphasized that peaceful dispute resolution is key to maintaining stability in the Upper West Region.
“In matters like this, we should try to use peaceful means rather than violence. In so doing, we continue to preserve the peace and stability of the region and also create a safer community for development and social activities to go on,” DCOP Yiribaare said.
On the reopening of the affected road, which was temporarily closed for security and investigative purposes, the Regional Commander indicated that access would be restored once outstanding processes are completed.
“We are still processing a few issues and once that is done, we should be able to open it up,” he assured.
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