The government has begun destroying more than 2,000 surrendered and confiscated firearms following the conclusion of its nationwide gun amnesty programme, marking the start of a stricter crackdown on illegal weapons.
The exercise, being carried out jointly by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ghana Police Service, is intended to permanently remove unlicensed firearms from circulation and reduce the risk of their use in criminal activities. Authorities say the destruction is being conducted in line with internationally accepted protocols.
The gun amnesty, which lasted eight weeks, encouraged individuals in possession of illegal firearms to voluntarily surrender them without facing prosecution. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the initiative resulted in the surrender of more than 4,000 unlicensed firearms.
Speaking at a ceremony at the Ghana Police Training School in Accra on Thursday, July 9, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah said the destruction of the weapons signals the end of the voluntary compliance phase and the beginning of tougher enforcement measures.
“The conclusion of the Gun Amnesty Programme marked the end of a period of voluntary compliance. We have now entered a phase of full enforcement of the post-gun amnesty measures,” Mr. Debrah said.
He noted that destroying the firearms would prevent them from being diverted, misused or falling back into the hands of criminals, strengthening efforts to improve public safety and national security.
Mr. Debrah also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to equipping the security services with the resources needed to carry out intelligence-led operations aimed at tracing and recovering illegal firearms still in circulation.
He warned that anyone found in possession of firearms without the required legal authorisation after the amnesty period would face the full force of the law.
