Disinformation allegations surface as Peace Council expresses shock at killings weeks after 13-point accord
Fresh alarm has gripped the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region after five people were confirmed dead in a new wave of violence, with community groups now demanding the removal of key government officials and residents alleging attempts to manipulate the narrative around at least one of the killings.
The Ghana Police Service, in a statement issued on March 26, 2026, confirmed that a joint security team comprising personnel from the Police, the Military, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Defence Intelligence, and the Ghana National Fire Service recovered five bodies from two separate locations in the Nkwanta South Municipality. The victims include three males and two females. Among those killed, according to residents and local media reports, is Shadrack Dotse, a brother of the Nkwanta South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Joseph Awal Antwi. Dotse was reportedly shot while grazing cattle in the bush on Thursday, March 26. The Ghana Police Service had not independently confirmed his identity or the circumstances of his death by the time of publication.
Residents have alleged that images circulating on social media misrepresent the manner in which Dotse died, with one resident telling Daily Searchlight that photographs showing a corpse in military trousers alongside an AK-47 do not depict the scene as it was. The resident claimed Dotse was in civilian clothing when he was shot and had no weapon. NewsGhana has not independently verified these claims or the authenticity of any of the photographs in question.
The National Peace Council (NPC) condemned the renewed violence, describing the escalation as both troubling and unexpected. The Council noted it had been in Nkwanta from March 1 to 3 to conduct a dialogue among key stakeholders, which concluded with all parties committing to a 13-point declaration aimed at restoring lasting calm. “We condemn the killings and we urge the security agencies to continue with the investigations,” NPC spokesperson Kwesi Yirenkyi said.
The Akyode Youth Association (AYA) submitted a formal demand on March 23 calling for the dismissal of both the Oti Regional Minister, John Kwadwo Gyapong, and MCE Joseph Awal Antwi, accusing the two officials of abandoning neutrality and siding openly with the Adele and Challa factions. The group warned that allowing the officials to remain in post risked plunging Nkwanta into deeper crisis. MCE Antwi has publicly pledged to pursue those responsible for the killings.
Security analyst Andrews Asiedu Tetteh characterised the conflict as having shifted from isolated clashes into a full cycle of retaliation, arguing that security agencies had remained passive for too long. “Our police and soldiers should have been on the ground. They should have been proactive in dealing with the matter,” he said, describing the peace pact as ineffective without enforcement.
The Inspector-General of Police deployed two armoured vehicles together with officers from the National Police Operations Unit to the area on the night of March 25, and the Police Service confirmed that calm had since been restored. Schools in Nkwanta South have nonetheless been closed indefinitely, with teachers and students reported to have fled their communities as tensions remained high.
The latest violence is linked to a long-running dispute among three ethnic groups in the area, the Adele, Akyode and Challa, fuelled by tensions over land boundaries. Residents have been urged by both the Police and the National Peace Council to avoid spreading unverified information and to cooperate fully with ongoing investigations.
