The Upper West Regional Police Commander, ACP Yiribaare Francis, has assured residents of the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property within the region.
The intelligence lead operations and initiatives continue, it will not end with this particular breakthrough
He made this declaration while responding to questions from journalists during a press conference last Wednesday, 8th October 2025.
The conference was held to announce the arrest of two suspects in a series of killings in the regional capital, Wa, and the neighbouring towns of Bole, Bamboi, and Banda Nkwanta in the Savannah Region.
I will not be willing to tell you I have ten men, I have 20 men.
The suspects, Sheriff Abdulai, 30, and Mohamuda Lamin, were arrested in connection with the serial killing of private security personnel and other vulnerable individuals in the area. The crimes date back to 2021 and include the recent murder of Yahaya Issah, a private security guard at the Wa new market, on Sunday, September 21, 2025.
The Regional Commander, who had only recently been assigned to the region, took swift action to investigate the matter, which led to the arrest of the first suspect, Mahamuda Lamin, at his hideout on October 3rd.
During questioning from journalists about recent “massive transfers” of police personnel from the region and the potential impact on security, ACP Yiribaare insisted that his command has enough officers to enforce security.
“But I can assure you that we have sufficient men within the region to support the activities of law enforcement,” he stated, adding, “I will not be willing to tell you I have ten men, I have 20 men.”
He assured that “the intelligence lead operations and initiatives continue, it will not end with this particular breakthrough, our coordinated patrols, our community-oriented policing strategies, our crime scene management expertise, we will continue to sharpen them”, he explained to the gathering.
our coordinated patrols, our community-oriented policing strategies, our crime scene management expertise, we will continue to sharpen them
The commander’s comments come amid rising public concern over the transfer of a significant number of security personnel out of the region without a corresponding number of officers being posted to the area.
