"Guns, Guilt & the Ghana We Don’t Like to Talk About"
A few weeks ago, I was stuck in traffic around Spintex when a guy knocked on my window, trying to sell me a phone. It looked a bit too shiny for something supposedly “used only for two weeks.” I smiled politely and said no—but as he walked away, I kept staring at the phone. Something about it didn’t sit right.
Later that evening, I found out there had been a robbery in the area the night before. Suddenly, that shiny phone felt a lot heavier in my mind.
So when I saw the headline “Tense Gunfight: Police kill 2 suspected robbers, launch manhunt for accomplices,” I felt that same twinge in my gut again. Because as much as we try to carry on with our lives—scrolling, working, catching trotro, tweeting memes—there’s this other Ghana we’re always dancing around. The one where desperation, crime, and fear are becoming a little too normal.
According to the report, the police confronted a group of suspected armed robbers, which led to a deadly shootout. Two were killed on the spot. Others fled. And now there’s a manhunt underway. The story sounds like something out of a crime movie. But it’s not fiction. It’s happening right here.
And honestly, I’m torn. On one hand, the police acted swiftly. Two alleged criminals are off the streets. That’s a win, right? But on the other hand, I keep thinking—what pushed these young men to pick up guns in the first place? Were they born violent? Or did the system fail them before they failed society?
I may be wrong, but I’ve noticed this pattern. You rarely hear of wealthy folks’ kids in these robber gangs. It’s always boys from tough backgrounds, places where “eating three times a day” is a flex. Places where owning a gun feels like the only way to feel powerful in a country that ignores you.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m not defending criminals. If you pull a weapon on someone, you’ve made a choice, and you’ve got to face the consequences. But still… I can’t help but ask: could any of this have been prevented?
What if they had better opportunities? What if the schools they dropped out from had more teachers than chalkboards? What if we, as a nation, actually cared about catching people before they fall off the edge?
But no. We wait. Until a shootout happens. Then the sirens, the headlines, the “we’re on top of the situation” statements. Then silence. Until the next robbery. And the next.
In my opinion, this isn’t just a crime problem. It’s a cracks-in-the-system problem. And we’re patching bullet wounds with press releases.
At the same time, I get the fear. I’ve felt it. Checking over your shoulder at night. Speeding through certain neighborhoods. Wondering if the person walking too close behind you is just in a hurry—or holding something.
So maybe the bigger question isn’t just how do we stop the criminals? Maybe it’s:
How do we fix the Ghana that keeps breeding them in the first place?
Because until we face that, these gunfights will keep happening—and none of us will truly feel safe.