BY Prince Ahenkorah
The streets of Walewale and Binduri are once again being choked by the iron fist of a government-imposed curfew, a desperate move to quell a fresh eruption of deadly shootings that have plunged these northern towns into renewed fear.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, acting on urgent advice from regional security bigwigs, has slammed down new curfew hours, effective Monday, June 9, 2025, as chaos threatens to consume the communities.
For Walewale in the North East Region, the night will fall silent from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Binduri Township and its environs in the Upper East Region face an even tighter squeeze, with residents forced indoors from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., according to a terse statement from the Ministry of the Interior.
The government, in a plea dripping with predictable rhetoric, urged chiefs, elders, and the rest of the populace to “exercise restraint” and embrace “non-violent means.” But the message is clear: the gloves are off.
“There is a total ban on all persons in Walewale, Binduri, and their environs from carrying arms, ammunition, or any offensive weapons,” the Minister declared, his words a chilling warning. “Any persons found with arms or ammunition will be arrested and prosecuted.”
Reliable sources on the ground, however, paint a grimmer picture, suggesting the renewed curfew is a direct response to a chilling wave of violence.
The recent assassination of Mohammed Zibrim Zia-Ulhak, a respected pharmacist gunned down in his private vehicle in Bolgatanga, has sent shockwaves through the region.
Reports indicate Zia-Ulhak met his brutal end between 10 and 11 p.m. in the Tindonsobligo community.
He was reportedly heading home after work when a hail of bullets ripped through his white pickup truck, leaving him dead with bullet holes scarring the windshield.
The perpetrators vanished into the night, leaving behind a scene of terror.
Sources close to the unfolding crisis whisper of a deeper, more volatile undercurrent – a simmering political tension that may have ignited this latest round of bloodshed. The confirmation of Martin Ariku Akudugu as the new District Chief Executive (DCE) for Binduri, after a contentious initial rejection on April 24, 2025, is being cited as a potential trigger.
It is alleged that the newly confirmed DCE, in a move that some describe as a catastrophic miscalculation, “opened a window to release the people from the curfew for three days.”
This brief reprieve, our source claims, was seized upon by unruly elements who “took the law into their own hands and misbehaved in the area.”
The terrifying implication? That the current spate of shootings is inextricably linked to unresolved conflicts, now exacerbated by a perceived loosening of security.
The New Republic will continue to dig deeper into this volatile situation. More coming up.