Tension remains high in Gindabour in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region following the deaths of a primary school teacher and a police officer in separate but linked incidents on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
The development has reportedly led to the vandalism of several private properties, including vehicles, motorcycles and houses, while some residents have fled the community amid heightened tensions.
According to the Savannah Regional Police Command, General Constable Redeemer Owusu was lynched by a mob following the death of a motorbike rider during a highway patrol operation along the Gindabour-Kenkyen community road.
In a press release dated September 17, the Police said the deceased rider, identified by residents as Seidu Abu, a teacher at Gindabour D/A Primary School, was travelling along the road when he allegedly diverted into the bush after seeing a police patrol vehicle.
The Police said the officers became suspicious and followed up from another direction, where they found the rider unconscious on a bush road.
According to the Police account, the officers picked him up and were conveying him to hospital when he died on the way.
The death reportedly triggered an attack on the police team by a mob from the community, during which General Constable Redeemer Owusu was attacked and lynched. Other officers reportedly sustained various degrees of injury, while the Police vehicle was also damaged.
The Police Command says 36 suspects have since been arrested and are assisting with investigations. The suspects are expected to be put before court.
The Inspector-General of Police has also deployed investigators and intelligence officers to assist with the investigation, while reinforcement teams from Damongo, Bole, Sawla, Tuna, Kalba and the Regional Intelligence Team have been deployed to the area to strengthen security and maintain law and order.
The Police Command has condemned the attack on its officers and says it will ensure that those found responsible face the full rigours of the law.
However, residents and some youth in the area have disputed the Police Command’s account of events.
Preliminary accounts from residents allege that Seidu Abu was stopped by police officers while travelling to his farm, and that he was later found dead after allegedly failing to stop when signalled by the officers.
Residents subsequently accused the Police of being responsible for his death, triggering outrage in the community.
There are also allegations that following the death of the police officer, some police personnel who entered the community vandalised private properties in retaliation. These allegations have not been independently verified.
Among the properties reportedly damaged are a Toyota Land Cruiser belonging to the Chief of Kong, with registration number 1727-10, and his five-bedroom private residence, as well as other vehicles and motorcycles.
The bodies of both the deceased teacher and the police officer have been conveyed to the St. Anne’s Catholic Hospital Mortuary in Damongo for preservation and autopsy.
Meanwhile, the youth in the area have rejected the Savannah Regional Police Command’s account and are scheduled to address the press on the incident.
The circumstances surrounding the death of the teacher, the subsequent lynching of the police officer and the reported destruction of properties remain subject to ongoing investigations and further accounts from the community and other relevant authorities.
Read full press release from the Ghana Police Service below
