By Francis Kobena Tandoh
A total of 4,038 unregistered firearms has been surrendered to the police at the end of the government’s Gun Amnesty Programme (GAP), according to Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, the minister commended members of the public in possession of the firearms who complied with the regulation from the government.
He stated that the government declared the GAP to enhance peace and public safety across the nation.
“I wish to inform you in the spirit of transparency that the number of unregistered firearms brought to the police was four thousand and thirty-eight (4,038). Many individuals voluntarily surrendered their unregistered or illicit firearms, while others took steps to regularise their firearms in line with the law,” said Muntaka.
“On behalf of government, I wish to commend all well-meaning Ghanaians who heeded the call and participated in the Gun Amnesty Programme. Your actions demonstrate patriotism, responsibility, and a shared commitment to safety and peace. You chose compliance over lawlessness, and Ghana is better for it,” added the interior minister.
He also commended traditional authorities, religious leaders, opinion leaders, civil society organisations, the media, and community groups whose support and advocacy were, according to him, “critical to the success of this programme”.
Your engagement helped carry the message into homes and communities that government alone could not have reached.
He assured the government will sustain consultations with the chiefs and elders to streamline firearm use during traditional activities, ensure proper marking and tracing of authorised firearms, and promote training for persons assigned ceremonial firearm roles.
The minister, however, pointed out that the aim is not to undermine tradition but to enhance it and protect lives.
Hon. Muntaka admonished licensed arms dealers to remain strictly law-abiding in all their operations, stressing that the law governing the importation, transfer, sale, and registration of firearms must be followed without exceptions.
He cautioned that any deviation, complicity, or abuse of the licensing regime will be dealt with decisively.
The Ghanaian government declared the GAP on December 18, 2025, and started it officially on December 1st, 2025, and ended it on January 30th, 2026.
The initiative, according to the government, was geared towards reducing the circulation of illicit or unregistered firearms and strengthening peace and public safety throughout the country. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
