Eight people have been arrested following fresh outbreaks of violence in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region, which claimed three lives and left several others injured.

The renewed clashes, which involved multiple gunshot casualties, raised serious security concerns in the area and forced the Ghana Police Service to deploy a special operations team to restore order.

According to Municipal Chief Executive Joseph Awal Antwi, normalcy has now been restored, with residents going about their daily lives and businesses operating peacefully once again.

Speaking to Accra-based Citi News, the MCE expressed relief at the improved situation thanks to the heavy security presence.

“Now calm has been restored in Nkwanta and the security is doing their work diligently. Some arrests have been made and it’s all under process. As we are speaking now, Nkwanta is calm, businesses are going on,” he said.

However, Antwi stressed the need for stronger measures to prevent the cycle of violence from continuing. He appealed to the Judicial Service to fast-track the prosecution of those arrested.

“We plead with the Judicial Service to fast-track these cases for us because sometimes the same people we arrest are sent to court, and within a week or two they are granted bail and come back jubilating,” he added.

The MCE noted that the quick granting of bail to suspects in previous incidents has weakened efforts to bring lasting peace to the municipality.

He remains hopeful that handling the current cases more swiftly will help deter future attacks and bring genuine stability to Nkwanta South.