An 18-year-old female student from Bimbilla Senior High School, Abukari Fatimata, died after being struck by a bullet during a Fire Festival procession in the Nanumba North Municipality of Ghana’s Northern Region.
The incident occurred on June 29, 2025, as Fatimata joined a group traveling to Wampu to discard ceremonial torches.
Reports from local authorities indicate an unidentified man accidentally discharged a locally manufactured single-barrel gun, hitting Fatimata in the head. Police were alerted immediately, and her body was transferred to Bimbilla Hospital’s morgue. No arrests have been made, and the shooter remains at large.
Fatal shootings during Fire Festival celebrations are recurrent, despite annual criticism of live-ammunition use. This year, Dagbon monarch Ndan Ya-Na Abukari II banned the festival in Tamale and Sagnerigu to prevent violence. Fatimata was buried according to Islamic rites shortly after the incident.
The tragedy follows a June 25 warning from the Ghana National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, which urged northern communities to avoid firearms during festivities. Acting Executive Secretary Dr. Adam Bonaa emphasized: “Firearms are not toys,” stressing that unauthorized gun use is illegal and undermines the festival’s non-violent intent.
The Commission’s statement highlighted risks of accidental shootings, noting that 14 similar deaths occurred nationwide during cultural events in 2024.
