The Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area in the Upper West Region, Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, has expressed concern over the upsurge of armed robbery cases on the Tumu-Jeffisi-Wa, Tumu-Wallembelle-Wa, Tumu-Gwollu-Wa highways.

According to him, the spate of robbery on the said roads has led to loss of lives, amidst rape, which he said are alarming. Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton has, therefore, appealed to the Regional Security Council and Ministry of Interior to put in place pragmatic measures to curb this menace.

The Paramount Chief said the situation creates fear and panic amongst people in the area and affect traveling within the region and Socio-Economic development. Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton raised this concern on the occasion of the “Paari Gbielle” festival which was celebrated under the theme: “Developing the Sissala Land; a Sheared Responsibility”.

The Paramount Chief cautioned all stakeholders in the district to note that developmental challenges of the area cannot be left in the hands of one person, organization or government alone.

He commended the government for the establishment of the Tumu Midwifery School, which would produce midwives for the district and the nation and noted that it would help reduce maternal mortality among pregnant women.

The Tumu Kuoro also appealed to the government to provide hostel facility and a pick-up vehicle for the easy movement of the administrative staff of the school.

The Deputy Regional Minister, Dr. Musheibu Mohammed-Alfa said the situation on the Wa-Kojokere-Funsi-Tumu, Tumu-Navrongo and Tumu-Gwollu-Hamile is worrisome and needs to be addressed urgently and appealed to the general public to expose the criminals living among their midst.

Dr. Mohammed-Alfa commended the chiefs in the Sissala area for promoting peaceful co-existence among the people and pointed out that the Pulima, Zini and Wellembelle skins in the Sissala area are vacant, and urged the kingmakers to quickly settle their differences and have chiefs’ enskinned for the vacant skins.