A fatal shooting incident on Saturday, December 13, at a mining company in Adelekezu, near Dadwen in the Axim District, claimed the life of a young boy and led to the destruction of several properties.

Authorities have arrested five suspects for their alleged involvement in the violence: Gyenyame Owusu, 38; Matthew Asamah, 24; Nana Yaw, 15; Yaw Opoku, 16; and Kojo Agyei, 21.

Speaking to the media, the police explained that the incident stemmed from a dispute between local youths and the company’s private security personnel.

According to the report, the youths attempted to seize a security officer’s pump-action gun, and in his effort to resist, the officer accidentally discharged the weapon, fatally hitting the boy. He was rushed to Axim Government Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Enraged by the boy’s death, local youths returned to the site, setting two 4×4 SUVs and two tipper trucks on fire. A pickup truck and a Toyota Land Cruiser were also damaged during the violent attack.

This tragic incident highlights the broader challenge of illegal possession of small arms, which continues to pose a significant threat to public safety in Ghana.

While local disputes can escalate quickly into deadly confrontations, the government has also been taking steps to address weapons at a national and global level.

In September, Ghana strengthened its global stance against dangerous weapons by joining 69 other nations in efforts to reduce and ultimately eradicate nuclear arms.

Announcing the development on Saturday, September 27, via the X platform, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, stated that Ghana had officially ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

The move, he explained, reflects Ghana’s commitment to global peace and security. The Minister applauded both the Cabinet and Parliament for their unanimous approval of the treaty and recalled the role of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a long-time advocate for disarmament, noting that the late President would have been proud of this landmark achievement.

“Ghana boldly demonstrated to the world that we shall be a Nuclear-Weapon-Free State by depositing our instrument of ratification on the TPNW at the UN.

“We have been consistent across all political parties in advocating for total disarmament and a world without nuclear weapons. Ghana’s Founder, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, who convened the 1962 World Without the Bomb conference in Accra, would be proud of this moment,”Mr. Ablakwa wrote.

Ghana’s ratification of the TPNW, first signed in 2017 and approved by Parliament in July 2025, underscores the country’s role in promoting Africa as a nuclear-free continent.

The 69 countries that have ratified the treaty include Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia.

The others include: Ireland, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Niue, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the State of Palestine, Sudan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

At the national level, institutions such as the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA) have called on the judiciary to impose stricter penalties on individuals found in possession of unlicensed firearms.

In 2024, NACSA reported that around one million illicit small arms, including pump-action guns, AK-47s, pistols, and locally manufactured weapons, were in circulation in Ghana. The Commission described these figures as a serious threat to national security.

At the time, the Head of the National Arms Marking Programme, Mr. Frank Boateng Asumani, stated: “Currently, we have 2.3 million small and light weapons in circulation, out of which 1.2 million are legally registered, while the remaining 1.1 million cannot be accounted for.”

Speaking to The Independent Ghana, the Deputy Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation at NACSA, Gyebi Asante, stressed the urgent need to review existing laws governing firearms possession to address current security challenges.

“We are advocating for the law to be updated to suit the current situation and align with our current dispensation. We have already submitted a proposed National Arms Bill to the Ministry of Interior for review. The penal sanctions under the current law are not sufficient to deter illegal arms possession,” he said, noting that the maximum jail term of five years or a fine of 12,000 Ghana cedis is inadequate.

According to Mr. Asante, the lack of a minimum penalty allows judges discretion to impose very light sentences, sometimes as little as a fine of 100 cedis or two weeks in jail.

The proposed National Arms Bill aims to close these legal gaps, creating a safer environment for all Ghanaians and ensuring stricter regulation of small arms and light weapons (SALW).

Established by an Act of Parliament in 2007, NACSA’s mandate includes regulating the possession and control of small arms, preventing illegal production, trade, and transfer, and curbing cross-border movement of weapons that contribute to crime and insecurity.