The Ashanti Regional Security Council has assured that security officers will remain in Asawase and emerging hotspots, even though calm has largely returned.
Security presence has been heightened in the Asokore Mampong Municipality and Asawase following deadly shootings that claimed the lives of a local chief and a 60-year-old man.
On July 22, Abdul-Malik Azenbe, the Kusasi Chief of the Ashanti Region and Chief of the Kadi Divisional Area in Binduri, was murdered.
Azenbe was shot at his residence near the Asawase F-line community centre by gunmen on a motorbike—with one reportedly armed with an AK-47.
The Chief was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. His killing sparked concern among residents and traditional leaders, with regional police promising a thorough investigation. Also on July 25, there was another fatal shooting of an unidentified man by unknown assailants on a motorbike.
Addressing journalists in Kumasi on Friday, August 22, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, who chairs the council, stressed that officers will continue to monitor the situation to prevent further unrest.
“We have put up a robust system to combat the peculiar situation we’re confronted with. As and when we identify new hotspots, we do the deployment. By and large, after the intervention by REGSEC and the Interior Ministry, we have been able to have good control of the security situation in the region, so we’re safe,” he said.
On August 1, Police and military patrols intensified in the Asawase and Asokore Mampong Municipality following directives issued by the Ashanti Regional Security Council in response to the recent fatal shootings of two individuals in separate incidents.
Security personnel mounted strict checkpoints, enforcing stop-and-search operations and implementing restrictions such as a ban on the use of motorbikes after 7 p.m.
While the perpetrators behind the shootings remain at large, several motorbikes were impounded for violating the directives. Police also reportedly seized weapons in an intelligence-led operation conducted in Asawase and other parts of the Ashanti Region.
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