Be vigilant at all times, day or night” – IGP to police on Asawase killings

Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has issued a strong directive to officers in the Ashanti Region. He urged them to maintain maximum vigilance following two deadly shootings at Asawase in less than a week, one of which claimed the life of a respected traditional ruler.

The IGP, who visited the region over the weekend as part of a high-level security assessment, emphasized the need for officers to remain alert at all times, warning that criminals are constantly shifting tactics to evade capture.

“You have to be vigilant at all times. And when they realise that this one did not work, they can use a tricycle or a vehicle to commit the same crime. If an offence can occur in the day, it can occur in the night,” he said. “The first one occurred after 8 o’clock in the night. And then this very one at Sabon Zongo, it was in a hot afternoon,” the IGP added, highlighting the unpredictability of the recent attacks.

His comments follow Friday’s daylight shooting of an unidentified man by two assailants on a motorbike at Sabon Zongo, just days after the brutal assassination of the Kusasi Chief of the Ashanti Region, Alhaji Abdul-Malik Azenbe, who was gunned down near his home at the Asawase F-line Community Centre. One of the attackers was reportedly armed with an AK-47 rifle.

The spate of killings has sent shockwaves across the region, especially in Asawase and Kumasi, where fears of a broader pattern of targeted attacks are growing. Although police have not confirmed any link between the two incidents, the similarities in method and timing have raised concerns among residents and security observers.

In response, armed police and military personnel have been deployed to key locations, with crime scene investigations underway. The Police Service has also ramped up patrols and intelligence-gathering operations to forestall further attacks.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has announced a night-time motorbike ban effective immediately in areas such as Asokore Mampong and the Kumasi Metropolis. The decision follows the July 22 killing of Chief Abdul-Malik Azenbe, who also served as the Kadi Divisional Chief in the Binduri District of the Upper East Region.