Amid ongoing tensions in Bawku, Inspector General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno has urged the youth to lay down their arms, assuring them of a fair chance in upcoming police recruitments if peace is restored.
During a visit to the troubled area, he emphasized that those who meet all recruitment criteria will be considered, and efforts will be made to decentralize the recruitment process to reach youth in remote communities like Bawku.
“We assure you in this area that when it comes to recruitment, we’ll give the people of Bawku priority,” IGP Yohuno declared while addressing residents.
“A special team will come here to do a special recruitment for the youth of Bawku, and I hope that if I’m sleeping in Bawku tonight, I hope I will not hear any gunfire”
Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Inspector General of Police
The IGP revealed that he would remain in Bawku for three days and nights to monitor the situation. He appealed for calm and pledged to create opportunities for young people if the violence ceased.
“I’m going to test it tonight. For the next three days, I’ll be here, and if I don’t hear any gunfire, then I know you have received my message. Please forgive us. Forgive all the security agencies where they’ve gone wrong”
Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Inspector General of Police
He acknowledged grievances against security officers and encouraged the public to report such concerns through proper channels. He added that the police leadership is in constant contact with the traditional authorities and is committed to resolving outstanding issues.
Clarification On Recruitment
After making his initial remarks, IGP Yohuno issued a clarification, emphasizing that while recruitment would be decentralized, all applicants would still go through the normal, merit-based process.
“The assurance we gave to them is that put down your weapons, and when it comes to recruitment, we’ll give you the advantage to participate – go through the normal process”
Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Inspector General of Police
He explained that the recruitment process would not be relaxed or limited to a specific group. Instead, it would be broadened to include more rural areas where youth often miss out due to centralized processes in cities like Accra and Kumasi.
“I didn’t say anything wider to show the requirement, but it looks as if the media is publishing something quite different”
He stressed that youth from Bawku must still meet age, educational, and physical requirements to qualify.
“We are not going to relax the basic requirement for recruitment. They qualify by age, by certificate, and then when they go through the recruitment process, we’ll be able to receive them”
Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Inspector General of Police
IGP Yohuno praised the commitment and performance of police officers originating from Bawku, noting that many have served with distinction.
“We have a lot of people in the police service now who came from this area, and we realize that they have helped a lot in the discharge of their duties”
Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Inspector General of Police
He cited the example of a policewoman from Bawku who rode a motorbike all the way to Accra during recruitment and was accepted immediately because her capabilities were self-evident.
Peace As Prerequisite
During his engagement with local leaders, including the Bawku Naba, he emphasized that the return of peace would invite development partners and investors into the area.
“Because when people even want to come to Bawku, they come to the police first, to assess the security situation.
“We gave them the assurance that if they are able to put down the weapons, when somebody comes, any NGO, anybody from the embassies… we’ll be ready to let them know that for now, there’s no problem in Bawku”
Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Inspector General of Police
Ghana’s new government, which has inherited the volatile Bawku security file, is closely monitoring the situation as the police leadership seeks to complement national peace efforts with inclusive opportunities and confidence-building measures.
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