Oti Regional Minister renews call for Circuit Court amid deadly clashes

Oti Regional Minister, John Kwadwo Gyapong, is urging urgent judicial reforms in the region, including the establishment of a Circuit Court, as deadly ethnic clashes continue to destabilize the area.

Speaking on Morning Starr on Monday, June 30, Mr. Gyapong pointed to the region’s inadequate judicial infrastructure as a critical factor fueling lawlessness and impunity. He revealed that the Oti Region currently operates with only one Magistrate Court, which convenes just once a week.

He emphasized that the absence of a Circuit Court has severely limited the ability of law enforcement to deliver justice swiftly and deter escalating tensions.

His appeal comes in the wake of renewed violence between the Akyode and Challa communities in the Nkwanta South Municipality. The conflict, which erupted on Wednesday, June 25, has so far claimed seven lives — including that of a final-year student of Nkwanta Senior High School. Two other students sustained gunshot wounds and are undergoing treatment.

The unrest has plunged the town into chaos. Schools have been shut down, shops remain closed, and most non-indigenous teachers have fled for safety, leaving the once-vibrant community in a state of fear and paralysis.

In response, Mr. Gyapong visited the affected areas to express condolences to grieving families and urge calm. He appealed to traditional leaders and youth groups to lay down their arms and support peace-building efforts.

The call for a Circuit Court is part of broader demands for improved justice delivery in Ghana’s underserved regions — where limited legal infrastructure often leaves communities vulnerable to violence and unresolved disputes.