All holders of firearms in Ghana will be required to undergo a fresh screening process to obtain new licences after the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, announced the immediate suspension of all firearm licences across the country.
According to the minister, the decision forms part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening oversight, improving accountability, and enhancing national security.
The directive takes effect from 12 noon on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Muntaka said emerging concerns about weaknesses in the firearm licensing regime, including compliance breaches and the misuse of legally registered weapons, necessitated the move.
“Everybody in Ghana who currently holds a legitimate licence to possess a gun, today (Tuesday, June 23), I am suspending all of it. All of it that everybody is holding,” he stated.
He explained that the suspension would allow authorities to conduct a comprehensive audit and restructuring of the country’s firearms control system.
According to him, the decision was triggered by what he described as a “new phenomenon” that poses a threat to public safety.
“Because we have realised a new phenomenon which is threatening public safety,” he said.
The announcement comes after reports of a shooting incident involving former Dome-Kwabenya MP, Adwoa Safo, at a property linked to her brother, Israel Safo, in the Greater Accra Region.
The incident is connected to an ongoing succession dispute within the Kristo Asafo Mission following the death of its founder, Apostle Professor Kwadwo Safo, in September 2025.
The dispute has resulted in competing claims over the leadership of the church and its affiliated institutions, with legal proceedings already underway.
In a statement, the Kwadwo Safo family alleged that Adwoa Safo was at the property to serve a court injunction during an installation ceremony involving Israel Safo when the shooting occurred. The allegations are currently being investigated by the police.
The nationwide suspension, according to authorities, is intended to stabilise the firearms regulatory system while investigations and reforms are carried out.
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