Here’s why Bawku has banned the wearing of smocks

Many Northerners wear smock

Unscrupulous persons conceal weapons under smocks

Residents of Bawku will henceforth no longer be able to wear smocks as part of security measures put in place to prevent crimes.

This, according to the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, is a way of ensuring that people engaged in criminal activities, as well as unscrupulous persons who use the traditional attire to conceal weapons, are no longer able to do so.

Smock has been a major cultural identity of the people in the northern parts of Ghana and recently became a national attire after John Dramani Mahama’s government declared the first Friday in a month as Batakari Day.

In a report by citinewsroom.com, the council said that its decision is based on intelligence and experience from the past where people have hidden weapons under the smocks and gone on to successfully commit crimes.

“Following the decision taken by REGSEC during the emergency meeting, the wearing of smock in Bawku Township has been banned with immediate effect. This was necessitated by the fact that criminals or unscrupulous elements hide arms and ammunition in smocks and attack opponents or innocent civilians,” a portion of a statement from the Council read.

Earlier, the Minister for Interior announced the imposition of a curfew on the people of Bawku Municipality and its environs.

The curfew according to a statement signed by the minister, Ambrose Dery, has been necessitated by some insecurity threats in the communities.

The curfew which comes into effect today, Wednesday, November 24, 2021, is said to commence at 4:00 pm each day and end at 6:00 am the next morning.

“The Minister for the Interior has on the advice of the Upper East Regional Security Council and by Executive Instrument imposed a curfew on Bawku Municipality and its environs in the Upper East Region from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. effective Wednesday, 24, November 2021.

“The imposition of the curfew has been as a result of threat of insecurity in the communities concerned,” the statement said.