Tensions are escalating in parts of the Ashanti Region following a disturbing rise in violent shootings that have left multiple people dead and others injured in recent days.
On Thursday night, the quiet town of Denase in the Afigya Kwabre North District was rocked by a brutal shooting that claimed two lives and left three others hospitalised at Offinso Saint Patrick Hospital. According to local leaders and eyewitnesses, unknown gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying passengers, discharging as many as 14 rounds in what appears to be a deliberate and targeted attack.
Kwabena Asamoah, Unit Committee Chairman for the Denase Electoral Area, told the media that the nature of the assault suggests it was not a robbery but potentially a contract killing. “They were clearly after someone. This wasn’t a random act. The intensity of the shooting indicates a well-orchestrated ambush,” he said.
The incident has reignited memories of past attacks in the area and left residents shaken. Locals are now calling for urgent intervention from law enforcement to curb what they fear may become a pattern of deadly violence.
In a related development, a separate fatal shooting in Asawase has intensified public anxiety. An unidentified man was killed by two gunmen on a motorbike—just days after the assassination of the Kusasi Chief of the Ashanti Region under similar circumstances. Eyewitnesses report that the assailants opened fire and sped off, leaving the community reeling once again.
These back-to-back shootings have sparked fresh concerns about rising insecurity, contract killings, and the proliferation of firearms in the region. Police have yet to confirm any links between the two incidents but say investigations are ongoing.
As pressure mounts on the Ghana Police Service to restore calm and bring perpetrators to justice, many residents are now living in fear, wary of stepping out at night or traveling without company.
Security analysts have urged authorities to ramp up intelligence-gathering efforts, increase visibility in hotspot areas, and engage local communities in building trust and cooperation to counter the growing threat of targeted violence.
