A violent altercation between peacekeeping troops and personnel of the Ghana Prison Service in Bawku, Upper East Region, has resulted in numerous injuries among officers.
The clash is said to have erupted at the Bawku Naba Palace during an inaugural ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the skin.
According to reports, the altercation stemmed from a previous dispute over a missing phone.
Soldiers assigned to provide security at the ceremony reportedly assaulted a prison officer on duty, accusing him of involvement in a phone theft leading to his hospitalisation.
In retaliation, prison officers from the Bawku Central Prisons reportedly converged at the Palace armed with guns and engaged in a violent confrontation with the soldiers.
Gunshots were allegedly fired and both sides sustained injuries. The injured officers were transported to the Vineyard Hospital in Bawku for medical attention.
According to reports, it took a police intervention to bring the situation under control. Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has yet to issue a statement on the incident.
Videos sighted by GhanaWeb from the clash on social media show several bloodied officers of the Prison Service being rushed for medical attention.
Some of the prison officers are heard repeatedly bemoaning the conduct of the military while threatening to abandon their post over their safety.
See some visuals and from the incident below:
Ugly scenes in Bawku,the military have attacked and even shot a prison officer at the Bawku local prisons pic.twitter.com/cpgR4ANHsu
— HUMBLE BRUCE (@cfchumblebruce) April 24, 2024
Soldiers in Bawku attack prison officers pic.twitter.com/XdUtnzJetx
— Yoo Yili Pag'bia (@Nyaba_Abu) April 24, 2024
Military troops of Operation Maida Buuri in Bawku in a violent clash with personnel of the Prison Service. pic.twitter.com/uZwhdgYNJJ
— Alhaji Gbangbanku (@EliasuAlhaji) April 24, 2024
Look what military officers did to prison officers at Bawku Prisons, NPP is the worst administration I've ever seen. Sad 💔 pic.twitter.com/IQSN61qyoF
— Tema Mayor 🇬🇭🇬🇧 (@Pro_designer_) April 24, 2024