Correspondence from the Upper East

A parcel containing 2,580 live cartridges and a shotgun, designated for the Doba-Kandiga conflict zone, has been intercepted by a joint Police-Military team enforcing a curfew.

The cartridges, which were concealed in cough syrup boxes and disguised as medicine, were intercepted Tuesday dawn in a bus with registration number AC-2051-19 going to Sirigu in the Kassena-Nankana West District, from Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The security services made the discovery during their checks in the bus as was done to every vehicle plying the route.

The security service after the discovery, implored the assistance of the driver of the bus to lure owners of the ammunition to the collection point, where three persons belonging to the Kandiga divide were grabbed.

Superintendent Francis Agyare, the Navrongo Municipal Police Commander, confirming the incident said security services busted the vehicle at one of the several checkpoints mounted in the area following the imposition of the curfew.

He said as a result of the flow of ammunition in the area during the renewed clash that has claimed the lives of six people and injured many, the Police and Military created the checkpoints to scrutinize vehicles coming into the communities to ensure people do not smuggle firearms and other harmful implements to cause harm and worsen the situation.

He revealed that a quantity of bows and arrows have also been retrieved from one of the suspects after a search was conducted in his home in Kandiga.

“Yes, it is true that this morning at 5 am, the joint military and police team at Kandiga-Doba enclave intercepted a Kumasi bound vehicle and when searched, we retrieved cartridges and some bows and arrows meant for the conflict area.

I must also add that these cartridges were meant for some people at Kandiga junction so with the assistance of the driver, we trailed those people and lured them to come for their parcel and as they arrived, we rounded them up and arrested all of them”.

Superintendent Agyare said the suspects and the vehicle have been put in custody pending investigation. He noted that security surveillance has been strengthened to ensure absolute peace, calm, law and order is returned to Doba and Kandiga communities.

On July 5, six persons were killed and 12 houses torched during a clash over a renewed land dispute between the people of Doba and Kandiga in the Kassena-Nankana Municipal and Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.

The renewed dispute also left many people with various degrees of injury who are currently seeking treatment at the War Memorial Hospital.

The clash happened at the Akonkongo-Abimpengo area where both communities claimed ownership of a parcel of land earmarked for the construction of a police post.

The dispute between the people of Doba and Kandiga dates back to 2012. They have since been in court litigating over the piece of land.