The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Adam Mutawakilu says the two suspects arrested with guns by the military for allegedly aiding the registration of foreigners are local warriors who are protecting residents from armed robbery.

According to him, the suspects are warriors armed with weapons by local authorities after five people were killed by armed robbers last year.

“That road leads to Dokupe which is a galamsey hotspot and as a result, there have been frequent attacks by armed robbers. Last year almost five people died so the communities there came together and got some local warriors to be protecting them and have since we’ve not had a robbery attack,” the MP told Joy FM.

The Savannah Regional Police Command has arrested two persons for illegal possession of a firearm at Kojokora in the West Gonja district of the Savannah Region.

The suspects Inusah Iddisah and Salifu Abubakar claimed they were escorting the passengers to the registration centre with weapons due to the rampant robbery incidents in the area.

The suspects were arrested with guns, ammunition, and machetes.

According to the Savannah Regional Police Commander, DCOP Adetwum Bediako during interrogations, the suspects said they were using the weapons to protect the passengers by escorting them to the registration centre.

DCOP Bediako added that, the suspects will be charged and arraigned after investigations.

The ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) in the Savannah Region has accused the opposition NDC of recruiting the suspects to escort the passengers to the registration centre to register them in the ongoing voters registration exercise.