Stephen Atubiga wept openly during a live interview on UTV while addressing the protracted conflict in his hometown of Bawku, expressing profound shame over the violence tearing the community apart.
Visibly distraught, Atubiga revealed he wished to abandon his Bawku identity, stating, “If it were up to me, I would change my identity and take an Akan name.”
He condemned the decades-long chieftaincy dispute as senseless, lamenting, “It is not worth dying for. Nothing about this fight makes sense anymore.”
Atubiga described the tragedy of a town lacking basic amenities yet consumed by self-destruction: “Bawku doesn’t even have the amenities you’d expect in a peaceful community. Yet, all we do is fight. There is nothing there to fight over.”
He disclosed using personal funds to support families displaced by the unrest but questioned the sustainability, asking, “How long can this go on?” while highlighting self-inflicted stagnation: “We are stuck in poverty, in backwardness.”
His emotional appeal underscored the human cost of the conflict, urging reflection on wasted lives and resources in a region desperate for development.
“This must stop!” – Stephen Atubiga breaks down in tears on live TV, calling for an end to the Bawku conflict#UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/TYNegOhlTb
— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) August 1, 2025
