Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno has called on Christian and Muslim leaders to help restore calm following recent tensions arising from inflammatory religious comments and a subsequent assault.

Speaking at an engagement with Christian and Muslim religious leaders at the Emergency Command Centre of the Police Headquarters in Cantonments, Accra, Mr Yohuno said violence and vigilantism could not resolve the situation, firmly rejecting extrajudicial action.

"Violence will not fix what words have broken," he said.

"And vigilante retribution will never replace the rule of law in Ghana."

Suspects on bail as investigations continue

The IGP said the suspects involved in the recent incidents are currently on bail while investigations continue.

They include an imam who called for the beheading of those who insult Prophet Mohammed, a pastor who insulted Prophet Mohammed, and a Muslim man who verbally and physically assaulted the pastor while he was handcuffed in police custody.

"They are all currently on bail while investigations continue," he said.

Police action alone cannot heal a fractured spirit

The IGP acknowledged the police service's role in responding to the incidents but said law enforcement alone could not restore trust.

He appealed to religious leaders to promote peace and cohesion through their messages and discipleship.

"Police action alone cannot heal a fractured spirit," he said. 

"Law enforcement can restrain hands but only faith, leadership and conscience can heal hearts."

"Today, I appeal directly to your moral authority to join me in calling for absolute calm and immediate return to peaceful coexistence," he added.

Ghana's peace is not an accident of history

Mr Yohuno said Ghana's peaceful relationship between Christians and Muslims was built on longstanding social bonds.

"Ghana's peace is not an accident of history. It is a divine blessing built on the shared realization that Christians and Muslims in this country are not strangers to one another. Before we started manifesting our faiths vigorously, we were classmates, market vendors sharing adjacent stalls, coworkers and fundamentally members of the same family," he said.

He urged both religious communities to look beyond the immediate provocation and draw on the core principles of their faiths.

"To both the Christian and Islamic communities, I ask you to look past the provocation of the moment and return to the primary tenets of the holy text you preach every week," he said.