The recent shooting incident at a traditional ceremony in Nungua has sparked calls for stricter gun control measures at cultural events.
Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, the Deputy Minister Designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, has stressed the need for better oversight of firearm usage during such gatherings, emphasizing the importance of police supervision to prevent similar incidents. "Where there are traditional programmes, there is some form of shooting, and we are supposed to use gunpowder for such things.
As we heard, it means they used a live bullet at the programme, which is not right," she stated during her vetting before the Appointments Committee.
She added, "So, I believe with my minister, we will work with the Ministry of the Interior so that when there are such programmes where they will be using the guns, they need to take bullets from the police or there must be security presence at such functions." Her concerns follow an incident on February 26, 2025, when a musketeer at the enskinment ceremony of Lawrencia Naa Borley Nelson, also known as Naa Gamu, mistakenly discharged a live bullet, striking the newly enskinned queen in the thigh.
