Dr Adam Bonaa, Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA), says the Commission is determined to retrieve the last illicit firearm in the country, warning that persons who fail to surrender illegal weapons after the amnesty period would face arrest and prosecution.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ seminar organised by the Gun Amnesty Programme Train in Ho, Dr Bonaa cautioned that no one should assume their possession of a firearm was unknown.
“Never think that nobody knows you have a weapon,” he said. “After the amnesty, information will come in, and once it does, arrests will follow. Informants who provide credible information will be rewarded.”
He explained that the nationwide gun amnesty, declared on December 1, 2025, was intended to give people a rare opportunity to surrender illegal or unregistered firearms without arrest, interrogation, intimidation, or prosecution.
Dr Bonaa said the extensive public sensitisation was meant to ensure that no one could later claim ignorance of the law or the amnesty.
He cited past incidents where individuals were prosecuted for unlawful discharge or possession of firearms to demonstrate that once the law took effect, there would be no room for excuses.
According to him, persons who wished to regularise their firearms should report to the nearest Police station and follow the laid-down procedures, while those in possession of illicit or prohibited weapons were encouraged to surrender them outright.
“If a weapon cannot be regularised, it will be taken away and destroyed. A day in prison is not a joke, and that is why this amnesty has been declared,” he said.
Dr Bonaa stressed that since the declaration of amnesty, thousands of weapons had been surrendered nationwide without a single case of intimidation, arrest, or extortion.
He cited an example of a person who voluntarily surrendered an AK-47 rifle, explaining that a specialised police team collected the weapon discreetly, underscoring the Commission’s commitment to a non-confrontational approach during the amnesty period.
He lamented the increasing use of firearms in conflicts, religious spaces, chieftaincy disputes, land guard activities, and even schools, describing the trend as contrary to Ghana’s values as a peaceful nation.
“If we remove these weapons from our society, many conflicts will be reduced to dialogue instead of violence,” he said, adding that the Volta Region had shown an encouraging response to the amnesty.
ACP Samuel Okunor, Deputy Volta Regional Police Commander, said the police were fully prepared to support the programme, noting that officers often bore the brunt of gun-related violence as first responders.
He suggested the possible introduction of incentives or tokens for persons who surrendered firearms, arguing that some individuals had acquired weapons at a cost or inherited them and might be reluctant to give them up without compensation.
ACP Okunor, however, expressed concern about proposals to legalise local firearm manufacturing, warning that poor regulation could lead to increased proliferation of weapons, particularly among youth.
Alhaji Mohammed Avona Akape, Chief Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, commended the Commission for organising the seminar and the accompanying amnesty walk, describing them as timely and necessary.
He said the programme could not have come at a better time, especially following the December 26, 2025, shooting incident at the Ho Central Mosque during Jumuah prayers, which left several worshippers injured.
“The incident painfully highlights the grave dangers posed by illicit arms and reinforces the urgency of collective action to rid our communities of such weapons,” he said.
He assured participants that the Regional Security Council, working with security agencies and community leaders, was taking steps to ensure calm, accountability, and lasting peace, while fully supporting preventive initiatives such as the Gun Amnesty Programme.
Mama Ametor Hoebuadzu II, Paramount Queen Mother of the Alavanyo Traditional Area, welcomed the initiative and pledged the support of traditional authorities in encouraging residents to surrender or regularise their firearms.
She appealed to the government to properly regulate local gunsmithing in Alavanyo by establishing authorised manufacturing or repair centres to create jobs for the youth and curb the unregulated sale of locally made weapons.
The seminar was attended by heads of allied security agencies, heads of departments from the Volta Regional Coordinating Council and various assemblies, Municipal and District Chief Executives, members of the Muslim community, and other dignitaries.
Source: GNA
