Tension continues to rise in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region with residents calling for sustained security intervention following renewed violent attacks that has claimed the lives of 5 persons.
In an interview with GhanaWeb on Friday, March 27, 2026, a resident described the current situation in the area as “barbaric”.
He said the latest violence is linked to a long-standing dispute which has persisted since 2021, involving multiple factions who defied several attempts at resolution.
“Nkwanta is not actually calm, the situation is very barbaric. It started a few years ago… since 2021, there has been a conflict going on in Nkwanta between three factions and they (authorities) attempted to resolve it to the extent that there was a curfew imposed on us.
“Now, after the curfew was reviewed about 2 weeks, the National Peace Councial had a dialogue with residents that we should resort to peace, 2 weeks after we signed the peace pact agreement, my uncle and his two younger brothers went to the farm and were killed”, he recounted.
The resident said the attacks this week have worsened the already fragile situation and insisted that the current police deployment is insufficient.
“There were couple of gunshots last night, also. As I speak, another casualty was recorded last night. Another person was shot to death last night. So, I think there should be more men (police) and where the issue started from, I heard they burnt some houses there again, so, the matter is increasing and increasing, so we need more men”, he remarked.
Despite assurances from security agencies, residents insist the situation remains volatile, with sporadic gunfire and attacks still being reported.
He also called for stricter enforcement of the law, arguing that perpetrators often return to the community after arrests; which emboldens others.
He called for a more inclusive peace process, as well as, reinforcement to ensure lasting stability in the area.
In a statement issued on Thursday, March 26, 2026, the police confirmed that two armoured vehicles, along with personnel from the National Police Operations, were deployed overnight to restore calm.
“The Inspector-General of Police has deployed two armoured vehicles with men from the National Police Operations to Nkwanta last night to beef up security, following renewed violent attacks. Calm has been restored in the area,” the statement said.
The police also disclosed that a joint security team recovered five bodies, three males and two females, from two separate locations in the municipality.
The operation involved personnel from the police, military, BNI, Defence Intelligence, and the Ghana National Fire Service.
Source: Nkwanta