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Stephen Atubiga, the founder and leader of the National Liberation Congress (NLC), has cried out that there is nothing in Bawku in the Upper East Region to fight over.
Stephen Atubiga noted that Bawku does not even have the amenities you would expect, yet all residents do is fight.
According to Stephen Atubiga, he wishes he could change his name to an Asante name because of the disgrace associated with the Bawku conflict.
Speaking in an interview on UTV on Saturday, August 2, 2025, Stephen Atubiga stated, “We receive international calls, and I must say it is an indictment on us. It is embarrassing. I am telling you the seriousness of the Bawku conflict. I wish I could change my name to Kwasi Boakye, an Asante name, because of the disgrace, what is in chieftaincy? It is worth it for anyone to die. How much is an acre of land in the township?
“It is not worth dying for. Nothing about this fight makes sense anymore,” he added.
He lamented, “Bawku doesn’t even have the amenities you’d expect in a peaceful community. Yet, all we do is fight. There is nothing there to fight over.”
Stephen Atubiga further asserted that the people of Bawku are stuck with poverty in backwardness.
According to him, he often uses his own funds to support families affected by the violence.
He added, “I take care of many families from Bawku with my own money. But how long can this go on? We are stuck in poverty, in backwardness, and we are doing it to ourselves.”
“You can ask my aides, I spend not less than GH¢5,000 a day to assist residents. I could have used that money for other purposes, like marrying a third or fourth wife”.
Stephen Atubiga further recounted calling his father, who told him he was sleeping at 2 PM.
“I have never celebrated my birthday. I called my father, who has been an MP before, he said, ‘My son, I am sleeping and it’s only 2 PM’, the situation is very bad”, he added.
In a related news on the Bawku Conflict, Afia Pokua, commonly known as Vim Lady, has fired shots at President John Dramani Mahama over the ongoing conflicts in Bawku.
According to Vim Lady, Bawku residents are dying like fowls, and President John Dramani Mahama is also to blame.
Vim lady emphasised that the Bawku conflict has been reduced to a political fight instead of a joint effort by the NDC and the NPP to deal with the issue.
Speaking on her “Egyaso Gyaso” show on Okay FM, Vim Lady stated, “Now, anybody who has evil intentions can take advantage of the Bawku conflict and escalate things.
“And President Mahama, you are part of the whole thing, so take action, because it’s not everything we must politicise. That’s why people are questioning President Mahama.
The Ghanaian media personality further cited President Mahama’s remarks in opposition when he claimed that when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is in power, there is peace in Bawku.
She noted that it had been seven months since the NDC government in office, yet the Bawku conflict persists.
Vim Lady added, “Because they’ve used the conflict for politics, claiming that if the NDC comes to power, they’ll solve it. But the NDC is in power now, and still, seven months on, we haven’t been able to resolve it.
This should have been a joint fight between the NDC and NPP, without politics. But now people are dying like fowls”.
“What you said is now haunting you. And people are still dying, including students”, she reiterated.
Background
The Bawku conflict escalated following the return of rival chief Alhaji Seidu Abagre from exile.
Alhaji Seidu Abagre fled Bawku after an arrest warrant was issued against him; however, the High Court in Kumasi on October 17, 2024, nullified the warrant, allowing him to resurface.
In the past weeks, fresh violence has exploded in Bawku after a student of Bawku Senior High School was apparently pulled from his dormitory and shot dead by unknown attackers.
The residence of the Member of Parliament for Bawku and Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, was also reportedly set on fire.
Also, there is the recent killing of a Kusasi chief in Kumasi, which has sparked a series of reprisal attacks.
Reports suggest two more individuals were reportedly killed in Kumasi in connection with the chieftaincy tensions.
Despite increased efforts by security forces to suppress the unrest and safeguard commuters, armed assailants continue to unleash deadly attacks.
However, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on August 1, 2025 has launched a major intelligence-led search operation aimed at flushing out armed bandits and retrieving illegal weapons in the conflict-hit municipality.
Also, over 200 military personnel have been deployed within the Bawku municipality, and an additional 200 troops are stationed across the Upper East Region.