The Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with various security agencies, will publicly destroy more than 2,000 seized and surrendered firearms on Wednesday, July 9, as part of a major push to reduce illegal weapons and improve public safety.
The destruction exercise will take place at the Police Depot in Tesano, Accra. The firearms include those voluntarily handed over under the National Gun Amnesty Programme as well as others confiscated during security operations.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak announced the exercise at a press conference in Accra.
He said the programme is a joint effort involving the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, and other stakeholders.
The Minister explained that during the Gun Amnesty Programme, which ran from December 1, 2025, to January 30, 2026, a total of 4,038 unregistered firearms were surrendered to the police. However, not all of them will be destroyed right away.
“Such firearms would first undergo assessment to determine whether their owners qualify under the law to possess them,” he said.
Mr. Mohammed-Mubarak noted that pump-action shotguns and locally manufactured firearms made up a large portion of the weapons surrendered. To enhance traceability, locally made guns will be marked with unique identification numbers.
He described the amnesty programme as a significant step in the government’s fight against the spread of illicit firearms and gun-related violence.
The programme, themed “Silencing the Guns to Save Our Lives,” gave people the chance to surrender or regularise unlicensed weapons without fear of arrest or prosecution.
The Minister called on the public to continue supporting security agencies by sharing information that can help curb the illegal possession and trafficking of firearms across the country.
The destruction of these weapons marks the next major phase in the government’s efforts to rid Ghana of illegal arms and strengthen national security.
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