A Ghanaian immigration officer has been killed and another wounded after gunmen opened fire on them in a remote border town, authorities have confirmed.
The shooting took place at approximately 11:00pm local time on Sunday, 2 November 2025, in Nagani, a border community in the Tempane District of Ghana’s Upper East Region, near the country’s border with Burkina Faso.
The two officers Philip Lartey and Cosmoa Dakurah ,had been working late into the evening due to poor mobile phone network coverage in the town, often remaining at their duty post to access better connectivity. As they returned home, two armed men ambushed them on the road.
A local journalist from Smart Media provided details of the attack: “Coming back from duty 8pm due to network issues in the town they love enjoying the network at work, so on their way coming two men attacked them shot at one called Philip so he run to the bush leaving his rifle then Cosmos try facing the armed men and they shot his stomach and his knee.”
According to the report, Philip came under fire first and fled into nearby bushland, abandoning his service rifle in the process. His colleague, Cosmos, attempted to confront the attackers but was shot in both the stomach and knee.
“His intestines are out we took them to Bolgatanga Hospital around 1 am, 6am this morning Cosmos left us,” the Smart Media journalist reported.
Both men were rushed to Bolgatanga Hospital, the regional medical facility. Despite emergency treatment, Cosmos died of his wounds at 6:00am on Monday morning. Philip is receiving treatment for his injuries, though his current condition has not been disclosed.
Mr Mbilla Joseph, the District Chief Executive for Tempane, confirmed the incident to local media and said security agencies have launched an investigation to track down those responsible.
The attack has raised fresh security concerns in the West African nation’s northern frontier region.
The incident highlights the security challenges facing Ghana’s border regions, particularly in the north where the country shares a frontier with Burkina Faso, a nation grappling with a long-running jihadist insurgency. Whilst Ghana has largely been spared the violence affecting its Sahel neighbours, concerns have grown about potential spillover effects.
No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting, and the motive remains unclear. Ghanaian authorities have not indicated whether the attack is linked to cross-border criminal activity or other security threats in the region.
The incident marks the latest casualty among Ghana’s security services and underscores the dangers faced by officers deployed to remote border posts across the country.
Investigations have since begun, the police has confirmed.
