Tamale Youth Protest IGP’s Withdrawal of Special Operations Team Fighting Drug Menace
Youth groups in Tamale took to the streets on Thursday night in anger over reports that the Inspector General of Police has withdrawn the Special Operations Team, widely known as the “Black Maria,” which had been leading aggressive efforts to combat the rising drug problem in the Northern Region.
The demonstrators expressed deep concern that pulling the team out would seriously weaken the fight against drug abuse and trafficking, especially among young people in Tamale and nearby communities. Many credit the unit with disrupting supply chains, making arrests and raising public awareness in recent months.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, the protesters marched to the homes of traditional rulers, religious leaders and the Mayor of Tamale, Abu Takoro, in Lamashegu. They pleaded for immediate intervention to reverse the decision and keep the team in the region.
Earlier in the evening, the group gathered outside the Global Dream Hotel, where the Special Operations Team had been based, to publicly thank the officers for their work and voice strong opposition to their removal.
“There is no doubt that the presence of this team has helped curb the spread of drugs among our youth. Their withdrawal is worrying, and we call on authorities to reconsider this decision,” one protester told Channel One News.
Unconfirmed reports circulating in the city suggest a powerful politician in the Northern Region may have influenced the IGP’s directive due to unhappiness with some of the team’s operations. Police have not commented on these claims.
The protest quickly spread across social media, where users shared videos and messages insisting the Special Operations Team must stay in Tamale to continue backing local police in tackling what many describe as an escalating drug crisis.
Channel One News understands that the team left Tamale in the early hours of Friday, March 6, in line with instructions from the Inspector-General of Police.
The Ghana Police Service has not yet issued an official statement explaining the withdrawal or responding to the youth protest. Community leaders and civil society groups in the region have joined calls for clarity and for the team to be reinstated if the decision proves to have been premature.
