FORMER HEADMASTER INJURED IN BAWKU CONFLICT (Page 34)

Story: Benjamin Glover and Samuel Abaane, Bolgatanga

A victim in Wednesday’s ethnic conflict in Bawku has been identified as Mr Alhassan Gbanwaa, a former Headmaster of Bawku Secondary Technical School. He has been air-lifted to Accra for further treatment.
Mr Gbanwaa was said to have sustained severe head injuries following an attack on him in the wake of Wednesday’s conflict.
A military helicopter flew in from Tamale to convey Mr Gbanwaa , whose condition was said to be stable, to Accra .
At the Bolgatanga Sports Stadium to supervise the process was the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari and members of the Regional Security Committee (REGSEC).
Mr Gbanwaa, also known as Teacher Rokes, 53, was accosted by a group of people while on his way home after attending a meeting in town.
Reports say while riding a motor bike home, his former student called him and in his attempt to engage the student in a chat, a mob pounced on him and subjected him to severe beating.
He was, however, rescued by some security personnel and rushed to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital.
In a related development, one Mr Dahamani Eliasu, who was also attacked and inflicted with knife wounds, has been admitted to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital.
Mr Dahamani was on his way to Pusiga from Accra and was allegedly stabbed several times as he was boarding a vehicle in Bawku. Doctors at the hospital have stated that his condition is stable.
Meanwhile, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari and members of the REGSEC visited Bawku yesterday to assess the security situation on the ground.
A tour of the town revealed that there was an uneasy calm prevailing in the area while security personnel had intensified their patrols to contain the situation.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Bawku, Mr Abdulai Abanga, as well as officials at the Presbyterian Hospital in Bawku, denied the number of deaths in some media reports.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Victor Seth Agbetornyo, said the incident started on Tuesday, between 6.00p.m. and 6:30 p.m. with sounds of gunshots around Sabongedi, reports Samuel Abaane.
He said two unidentified people were alleged to have carried out the shooting. However, when security personnel arrived at the scene, the people took to their heels.
He added that empty shells and one live ammunition, believed to be that of an AK 47, was found at the place the incident occurred, but no one was arrested that night.
He said on the following morning (Wednesday), sporadic gunshots were heard around that same area, and around 12:00 noon, Alhassan Yirimeah, who was riding a motorbike from the municipal assembly offices towards the Bawku township, was attacked by a group of young men who knocked him off the motorbike.
He was, however, rescued while in critical condition and rushed to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital where he was receiving treatment.