A 24-year-old bystander has sustained a severe gunshot injury to his right thigh during renewed clashes between civilians and police in Wechiau in the Wa West District.
The incident has renewed concerns over the protracted communal conflict in the area, with Member of Parliament for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu, calling for an immediate end to the violence and a swift, impartial investigation by state security agencies.
The latest victim, Babuule Wahidu, was allegedly hit by a stray bullet while attempting to conduct a mobile money transaction.
According to Dr Philip K.K. Baabiineh, a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at the Upper West Regional Hospital, Mr Wahidu was rushed to the facility in critical condition and required urgent surgery.
“He alleged that he was at a mobile money vendor to do a cash out. While he was there, he saw people running and then he also turned to run. Before he could say Jack, a bullet entered his leg,” Dr Baabiineh explained.
Medical staff stabilised Mr Wahidu before performing surgery to treat the injury.
The surgeon said the victim suffered a penetrating injury consistent with a gunshot wound on the outer side of his right thigh.
“Luckily, the bones were intact. So we went and explored the wound, removed the foreign body that was there, debrided, and did the necessary procedures,” he said.
Mr Wahidu is currently recovering at the hospital and is receiving antibiotics, with doctors hopeful that he could be discharged within a week.
A second victim who sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder during the clashes is also reported to be in stable condition and is being managed without surgery.
The latest casualties add to the growing tensions surrounding the Lassia Tuolu-Kendeu conflict, which began on June 15, 2024, after years of peaceful coexistence between the communities were disrupted.
The conflict has so far resulted in deaths, destruction of property and deepened tensions within the district.
Addressing the media in Wa following a fact-finding visit to Wechiau, Mr Toobu expressed concern about the impact of the violence on residents and the district’s development.
“The incident left many families devastated and threatened the peace and stability of our beloved district,” he said.
The MP warned that continued cycles of violence and retaliation were undermining the future of young people and diverting resources that could have been invested in development.
He noted that mediation efforts had been making progress until November 23, 2025, when two young men from Bakpaateng were killed near Lassia Tuolu.
Tensions escalated further following the death of a prime suspect, Tijjani Abu, while in police custody at the SDA Hospital in Wa on July 25, 2026.
Mr Toobu has since called on the Ghana Police Service and the Attorney-General’s Office to expedite investigations into both the clashes and the custodial death.
“It is my sincere hope that these painful deaths will become the last sacrifices in our collective search for lasting peace, justice, reconciliation, and social cohesion,” he said.
“Justice delayed is justice denied.”
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