The Mamprugu Youth Association has criticized the Ghana Police Service, calling the death of 33-year-old Abdul-Aziz Iddrisu, also known as “Baaluuse,” a “chilling violation of fundamental human rights” and a “national disgrace.”
In a press release from Spokesperson Yakubu Nambe, the group claimed that Iddrisu was executed while in state custody, indicating what they see as a “dangerous slide into state-sponsored ethnic cleansing” in the Bawku Traditional Area.
The Association provided a concerning timeline starting with Iddrisu’s arrest on February 17, 2026, in Bolgatanga. While the Police Service initially announced the arrest as a significant breakthrough in the investigation of a deadly 2025 attack on officers at the Karimenga barrier, the group asserts that the situation quickly turned illegal.
Even though the family hired well-known human rights lawyer Martin Kpebu, various security agencies allegedly denied having the suspect until a meeting with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) uncovered the harsh reality. The Association claims the IGP verbally revealed that Iddrisu had been shot dead but did not provide a formal written statement, an autopsy report, or the return of the body.
The statement contended that this incident is not just an isolated act of misconduct but the “culmination of a calculated pattern of abuse” aimed at the Mamprusi community. The group accused powerful individuals in the current government of using state security forces to “identify, profile, surveil, and eliminate” Mamprusi youth under the pretense of national security.
They questioned how a suspect “assisting with investigations” could be executed without a trial, highlighting the difference in treatment compared to serial offenders who received full judicial oversight. “When did ‘assisting investigations’ become a euphemism for summary execution?” Nambe questioned during the briefing.
In a direct appeal for accountability, the Mamprugu Youth Association called on President John Dramani Mahama to intervene and reaffirm the neutrality of the nation’s security forces.
Their demands include a full, transparent disclosure of the circumstances surrounding Iddrisu’s death and an independent postmortem examination conducted by a facility such as Korle-Bu or 37 Military Hospital, citing a lack of confidence in the impartiality of the Police Hospital.
They further called for the immediate suspension of the IGP and the establishment of a bipartisan commission of inquiry to investigate the killing.
The Association warned that such state-led violence only serves to “inflame” the already volatile situation in Bawku, deepening mistrust and radicalizing the youth. They urged the international community, civil society, and religious leaders to “stand up for justice and equality” and demand the prosecution of all officers involved.
The statement concluded with a stern reminder to the Presidency that silence or delay in addressing these allegations would only “confirm suspicions that state power is being misused for ethnic ends.”