Muntaka Announces 6-Week Gun Amnesty

The Minister for Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, has announced a six-week gun amnesty effective December 1, 2025.

He defined the period as a window of grace, offering law-abiding Ghanaians with unregistered or illicit firearms the opportunity to surrender them without fear of interrogation, arrest, or prosecution.

Within this period, he said any person who voluntarily hands over weapons at designated collection points will be commended, not condemned.

“You will be recognised as a patriot, contributing to the peace and safety of our nation,” he said at a press conference on December 18, 2025.

It will end on January 15, 2026.

Complementing the amnesty will be a suspension of issuance of firearms permits for importation and sales; a temporary ban on the use of firearms in traditional celebrations; ongoing dialogue with traditional authorities to regulate firearms usage during festivals; and enhanced border security to prevent arms trafficking.

Post-amnesty Period
Hon Muntaka further stated that the law will take its full course at the end of the amnesty period.

He notes that there will be frequent joint security operations to retrieve illicit weapons and prosecute offenders, as well as intensification of swoops and searches in criminal hotspots and known criminal networks.

“Those who refuse this generous offer will be treated as criminals, and the consequences will be firm and uncompromising.”

Significance
The Minister, while addressing the press, drew a connection between illicit arms infiltration and the rising crime rate in the country.

“The statistics are not looking good at all. In 2024 alone, there were 1,219 reported robberies and 552 murder cases. As of July this year, the statistics from the CID and the Ghana show that 628 armed robberies and 340 cases of murder.”
He noted that violence is committed using these weapons at homes, workplaces, social gatherings and schools.

“The weapons, unregistered and unlawfully held, are fueling armed robbery, violent disputes, chieftaincy and land conflict and domestic violence. They turn minor disagreements into bloodshed and pit communities against each other. They rob us of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. Lives that should be shaping the future of our country.”

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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