Police Assaulted in Jirapa, AK‑47 Rifles Stolen

Five police officers were brutally assaulted and three service weapons seized by a mob in Saawie Community on Friday, Dec 5, after a routine mission to defuse communal tensions went violent.

According to a police sit‑rep, the Jirapa Municipal Police arrived at about 15:40 hours to investigate a complaint that threatened to burn the houses of Fulani herdsmen, a longstanding source of friction in the area.

Municipal Commander ASP George Doe led a team of five officers with the aim of convening local opinion leaders for dialogue, but the unarmed outreach was met by roughly thirty community members who attacked the officers and forced them to surrender three AK‑47 rifles and a pistol.

Regional Police Commander DCOP Francis Yiribaare immediately mobilised reinforcements from Jirapa, Lawra, Wa, Nadowli and Nandom districts, deploying a large‑scale rescue and containment operation.

The reinforced team rescued the injured officers and evacuated them to St. Joseph Hospital in Jirapa. “All five officers are responding positively to treatment,” DCOP Yiribaare said during his visit later that day.

A subsequent search recovered one AK‑47 rifle (without a magazine) and one pistol, while two AK‑47 rifles and a magazine remain missing, raising serious security concerns.

Police also arrested nine suspects who were found hiding under beds or attempting to flee, and seized three locally‑manufactured guns, two motorbikes, a tricycle, three deep freezers and a tabletop fridge.

Yiribaare confronted the Saawie chief and the local Assembly member, issuing a non‑negotiable ultimatum that the two remaining rifles and the magazine be produced within 24 hours, warning that further failure would trigger stricter action.

The police emphasise that the safety of Saawie and the wider Upper West Region depends on the swift recovery of the missing weapons, and investigations remain ongoing.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE