Unidentified gunmen last night opened fire on a crowd killing four persons and injuring eight at Najon in the Bunkpurugu district of the Northern Region.

An eyewitness told Radio Ghana correspondent Murtala Issah that, the gunmen invaded the community on motorbikes at about 7 pm, picked out a crowd at the market square and started shooting sporadically.

Spokesperson for the Northern Regional Police Command, ASP Yussif Tanko, has confirmed the incident. He explained that two men died on the spot while two others died at the Bindi hospital.

ASP Tanko said the injured are receiving treatment at the Baptist Medical Center at Nalerigu, but added that the gunmen and their motive are yet to be identified. He said the police are investigating the matter.

The Bunkpurugu district has seen communal, land and chieftaincy disputes in the past.

The area is one of the remote parts of Ghana with high levels of poverty and poor telecommunications network.

Over the weekend, the police arrested a Nissan Patrol vehicle carrying six pump action guns and over hundred cartridges.

The vehicle was believed to be heading to Namon in Yunyoo, a neighboring district