The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, has announced the immediate suspension of all registered firearm licences in Ghana as part of a sweeping reset of the country’s weapons ownership and control system.
The directive takes effect from 12 noon on Tuesday, June 23, and forms part of broader reforms aimed at tightening oversight, improving accountability, and strengthening national security.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, the minister said the decision was necessary due to emerging concerns about gaps in the firearm licensing regime, including compliance breaches and the misuse of legally registered weapons. “Everybody in Ghana who currently holds a legitimate license to hold a gun, today (Tuesday, June 23), I am suspending all of it. All of it that everybody is holding,” he said.
He explained that the move is intended to allow authorities to conduct a comprehensive audit and restructuring of the firearms control system.
According to him, the decision was triggered by what he described as a “new phenomenon” that poses a threat to public safety. “Because we have realised a new phenomenon which is threatening public safety,” he noted.
The announcement follows reports of a shooting incident involving Ms. Adwoa Safo at a property linked to Israel Safo in the Greater Accra Region. The incident is connected to an ongoing succession dispute within the Kristo Asafo Mission following the death of its founder, Apostle Professor Kwadwo Safo, in September last year.
The dispute has led to competing claims over leadership of the church and its associated institutions, with legal processes already underway.
In a statement, the Kwadwo Safo family alleged that Ms Adwoa Safo was at the property to serve a court injunction during an installation event involving Israel Safo when the shooting occurred. The allegations are currently under investigation by the police.
Authorities say the nationwide suspension is part of efforts to stabilise the firearms system while investigations and reforms are carried out.
Source:myjoyonline.com
