About 3,000 illicit and unregistered firearms have been retrieved from individuals across the country under the government’s gun amnesty programme, the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCSALW) has disclosed.

Following the outcome, the commission has extended the amnesty by two weeks, shifting the deadline from January 15 to January 30, 2026, to allow more persons still in possession of illegal weapons to surrender them without facing arrest or prosecution.

The Acting Director for Policy, Planning, Monitoring, Research and Evaluation at the Commission, Mr Gyebi Asante, made the disclosure in an exclusive interview with The Ghanaian Times yesterday on the latest development of the gun amnesty.

According to him, the extension was intended to maximise voluntary compliance to the directive before security agencies begin full-scale enforcement operations to retrieve weapons still in circulation nationwide.

Mr Gyebi explained that under the amnesty arrangement, individuals in possession of illicit weapons were required to surrender the firearms at any police station, provide their name and contact details, and leave without interrogation.

Owners of unregistered firearms may also submit them for registration, after which the weapons would be returned lawfully.

“No arrests have been made since the exercise began. People simply bring the weapons, their details are taken, and they leave,” he revealed.

Mr Asante encouraged individuals still in possession of illicit or unregistered weapons to take advantage of the remaining amnesty period to surrender them, stressing that voluntary surrender remained the safest option.

He indicated that after the January 31, 2026, the deadline, no further extensions would be granted and the law would be applied strictly.

Ghana’s Arms and Ammunition Act, 1972 (Act 105), categorises unlawful possession of firearms as a first-degree felony punishable by a minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment.

On the basis of the law, the Ministry for the Interior last year announced a gun amnesty from December 1, 2025 to January 15, 2026 to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons across the country, reduce gun violence and address growing security concerns.

The directive dubbed; “Silencing the guns to save our lives”, was on the back of broad consultations with the Ghana Police Service, the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, security agencies, traditional leaders, religious organisations, and civil society.

The initiative aimed to ultimately reduce the volume of illicit arms in circulation in the country.

According to security experts, the presence of illicit firearms in the possession of individuals pose serious threat to public safety, contributing to armed robbery and other violent crimes.

NORMAN COOPER AND ABIGAIL ANNOH