Fear has gripped residents of Tamale as well as visitors who are preparing for the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) National Delegates Conference scheduled for Saturday, after unknown gunmen shot and injured Nine NPP activists Thursday night.
According to Northern Regional Police, the activists were having fun in the form of a "night jam" around Tamale West Hospital area when unidentified gunmen in an unregistered taxi cab opened fired on them, injuring eight men and one woman in the process.
ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, the Public Relations officer (PRO) of the Command, told Graphic Online that the gunmen quickly sped off as soon as they opened fire on the victims.
He said efforts to track down the criminals had been futile so far.
The incident prompted observers to question the strength of police deployment in the city and its readiness to protect the public.
Some even alleged that the police were not on the ground when the incident happened, but ASP Tetteh rigorously denied this assertion, saying the police were on patrol when it happened.
He explained that the shooting happened very quickly and that by the time the police responded, the gunmen had fled.
ASP Tetteh assured the public that the police will patrol every nook and cranny of the city and "saturate" the entire metropolis with police officials to ensure that the NPP conference is successful.
When Graphic Online visited the Tamale Teaching Hospital, eight of the victims were being catered for in the emergency ward, while one was in the surgery recovery ward.
The Acting Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr Misbao Mohammed, said they were rushed to the hospital at about 11:30pm Thursday with gunshot injuries.
He said one of them had undergone surgery and was responding positively to treatment, while another - the female - was being operated upon.
Mr Mohammed said three of the nine had been critically injured, but were nsow stable.
The PRO said the number of victims brought in put an extra burden on the hospital, prompting them to recall some of their medical officers who were off duty.
"In all, I think they are all healthy now and just waiting to go through the normal treatment for us to see who we can discharge today, who can be discharged tomorrow, and those who'll need further treatment," he said.
Preparations for the conference, meanwhile, are continuing. Media personnel from around the country and hundreds of supporters of the NPP have converged on the Tamale stadium venue for the conference.
About 5,200 delegates are expected to vote in tomorrow's elections.
