Government has placed Hamile Township and nearby communities in the Lambussie District of the Upper West Region under curfew after an explosion claimed the lives of an Immigration officer and two civilians.
The curfew takes effect immediately, with residents ordered to stay indoors from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day.
In a statement shared on Facebook on Tuesday, November 3, the Ministry of the Interior said the move was taken on the advice of the National Security Council through an Executive Instrument.
Authorities have also outlawed the carrying of guns, bullets and any other dangerous weapons in the affected areas. The Ministry cautioned that anyone caught breaking the rules will be arrested and prosecuted.
The decision follows a blast involving a motor tricycle believed to have been loaded with explosives. The explosion killed an Immigration officer and two civilians, and left another Immigration officer fighting for his life.
Initial reports say the incident happened during a patrol near the Ghana-Burkina Faso border, after Immigration officers spotted three suspected smugglers allegedly moving goods toward Burkina Faso.
The group is said to have included two teenagers on a motor tricycle and an elderly man on a motorbike leading them.
The officers gave chase, and in the process, gunfire reportedly hit suspected explosives on the tricycle, setting off a huge explosion.
The blast is reported to have killed one of the teenagers and an Immigration officer on the spot. A second Immigration officer was critically injured, while the elderly suspect also sustained serious wounds. Both were rushed to Nandom Hospital for treatment.
