By Grace Zigah
The Bawku Senior High School in the Upper East Region has been shut down indefinitely following the gruesome murder of a final-year student, 19-year-old Hakim Kundima, in what appears to be a targeted attack linked to the protracted ethnic conflict in the Bawku area.
The tragic incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, 2025, when unidentified assailants scaled the school’s perimeter wall, stormed a dormitory, and forcibly dragged Hakim out before shooting him.
According to eyewitness accounts and security sources, the attackers swiftly escaped the scene, leaving the campus in a state of panic and shock.
Hakim’s elder brother, Tahiru Kundima, confirmed the incident to the media, revealing that the Bawku Divisional Police Commander personally conveyed the victim’s body to the family.
Tahiru strongly suspects the killing is tied to the deep-rooted chieftaincy and ethnic tensions that have destabilized the Bawku area for years.
In response to the incident, the Bawku Municipal Education Directorate, led by Director Isaac Agbeko Azasoo, announced the immediate closure of the school on Sunday, July 27, citing serious concerns over student and staff safety.
Students have since vacated the premises under heightened security escort, while teaching and learning activities have been suspended until further notice.
The Bawku SHS killing comes barely hours after another violent incident rocked the North East Region, where two students of Nalerigu Senior High School were similarly gunned down by unknown assailants.
Although authorities have not confirmed a direct link between the two attacks, the timing and nature of the killings have fueled public fear about deteriorating security conditions in schools across northern Ghana.
The Interior Minister, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, in a swift response to the growing insecurity, announced a review of the curfew imposed on Bawku and surrounding areas.
Effective Sunday, July 27, new curfew hours now run from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., a significant tightening intended to curb movement and prevent retaliatory attacks.
The adjustment, made upon the recommendation of the Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC), was formalized through an Executive Instrument.
Investigations into Hakim Kundima’s murder are ongoing.
However, no arrests have been made, and the motive remains officially unconfirmed. Security personnel, including the Ghana Armed Forces, have been deployed across key flashpoints in Bawku as part of government efforts to enforce peace and prevent further bloodshed.
The Bawku conflict, which has its roots in a long-standing chieftaincy dispute between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups, has claimed dozens of lives and destabilized communities over the past two decades with business activities grindingto a halt.
Several peace attempts have failed to yield a permanent solution, with intermittent outbreaks of violence continuing to disrupt education, commerce, and livelihoods in the municipality.
