Nine out of the eleven civilians who sustained injuries during disturbances following an explosion at Hamile in the Lambussie District have been treated and discharged.
Two others have been transferred to the Upper West Regional Hospital for further treatment.
The explosion, which occurred at Mountain Back Two unapproved rout at Hamile, left two civilians and an immigration officer dead, while injuring one other immigration officer who had since been airlifted to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment.
Chief Superintendent Mohammed Abdul Manan, the Hamile Sector Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), disclosed this at Hamile at the weekend during a visit of the Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI) to the command.
The visit was to enable the CGI to engage community stakeholders towards restoring normalcy to the area, assess the welfare of the personnel, and boost their morale.
As part of the visit, the CGI held meetings with the Upper West Regional Security Council in Wa, Border Security Committee, chiefs and youth of Hamile, the immigration officers at the command, as well as visited the families of the deceased civilians and the explosion scene.
Updating the CGI, Chief Superintendent Manan, explained that tensions escalated at Hamile after the explosion incident, with several agitated residents gathering at the immigration command to express their displeasure over the deaths.
He said attempts by security personnel to engage and control the agitated residents proved unsuccessful and gunshots were heard, which prompted security personnel to also fire shots, leading to the eleven civilians sustaining injuries.
He said following the disturbances, the residents reportedly demanded that Immigration officers vacate their rented accommodation in the community.
The Sector Commander, consequently appealed to the CGI to consider providing accommodation facilities for officers at the command, to enable them to seek refuge and protect themselves in the event of similar security disturbances.
Mr Samuel Basintali Amadu, the CGI, urged residents to recognise the importance of the security institutions stationed at the border, as their presence was essential to, among other things, protecting the country’s territorial integrity and supporting national development.
He stressed that security personnel and community members needed to establish cordial relationships and resolve disagreements through dialogue rather than confrontation.
“It’s about adjusting. You meet each other halfway. Going forward, let’s be mindful with our engagement with the civilian population that we work with,” the CGI advised the security personnel.
The CGI also appealed to the media to exercise caution in reporting the incident, particularly in the use of images and unverified information as that could cause further distress to the bereaved family or inflame tensions.
Mr Amadu assured officers at the Hamile command that management was committed to improving their working and living conditions, to enable them to effectively discharge their duties.
He announced plans to provide additional uniforms to officers at the Hamile Sector command, replenish their working equipment, assuring also that he would work hard to secure an accommodation facility for them.
The CGI commended the officers and other security agencies for their commitment and sacrifices in maintaining peace at Hamile despite the difficult circumstances.
Mr Amadu urged them to maintain high professional standards, discipline and decorum in their interactions with residents while remaining firm in enforcing the law.
GNA
