A JOINT PRESS STATEMENT BY KUSASI COMMUNITY CHIEFS AND QUEEN MOTHERS IN GREATER ACCRA AND CENTRAL REGIONS OF GHANA.
WEDNESDAY 22ND MARCH, 2023 PRESS STATEMENT.
Friends of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen.
We the Kusasi Chiefs and Queen Mothers of the Greater Accra and Central Regions of Ghana gathered here hail from the six (6) Administrative Districts and Constituencies that make up the Kusaug Traditional Area (KTA) in the Upper East Region. These are Bawku Central, Bawku West, Pusiga, Binduri, Garu and Tempane. We wish, first of all, to express our deepest appreciation to the government, and especially to His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo- Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, for his tireless efforts at bringing peace to Bawku and its environs. We also want to extend our utmost appreciation to the security personnel on the grounds in Bawku who are protecting life and property at the risk of their own lives. And to all other state institutions, agencies and media houses working to bring peace to Bawku, we say a BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU.
Before we proceed further, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, we wish to acknowledge with great admiration and appreciation, the exceptional leadership of our Overlord, His Royal Eminence, Zugran Abugrago Asigri Azoka II, Bawku Naba and Paramount Chief of Kusaug Traditional Area. Despite the constant provocations by the settler Mamprusis in Bawku and the recent illegal and reckless actions of the Chief of Nalerigu, our Overlord has constantly admonished us, his subjects, especially the Youth, to remain vigilant and law abiding. But for his extraordinary patience and commitment to peace, the conflict in Bawku would have escalated to unimaginable and genocidal levels.
The so-called Mamprusis in Bawku have over the last two years tried consistently to ensure unending spate of violence in Bawku, resulting in the death of dozens of people, destruction of property and bringing certain services and life within Bawku township to a complete halt. Friends of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen, while we condemn these lawless acts and commend the government and security agencies for their efforts, we want to call on the authorities to double their efforts at bringing lasting peace to Bawku by:
1. Arresting and prosecuting the imposter, Seidu Abagre, who was declared wanted last months. That the arrest warrant was secured over a month ago and this imposter is still at large does not inspire confidence in the professional and intelligence competence of our security agencies. Arresting and prosecuting Seidu Abagre is very critical for lasting peace to return to Bawku.
2. Speeding up the investigations into the brutal murder of unarmed civilians by some elements of the Military in Bawku back in February. We hereby pledge our support to the petition to CHRAJ by the Hon. Mahama Ayariga, Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Constituency, and call upon CHRAJ to conduct their investigations speedily, professionally and comprehensively. May we be reminded of the popular maxim that justice delayed is justice denied.
3. Ensuring the return to post of His Lordship Justice Alexander Graham of Bolgatanga High Court Two who was threatened and driven out of Bolga. Justice Graham is known to be a very honest and brave judge in Bolga who is impartial in his judgements. To allow such a judge to be intimidated and threatened to desert his post will send the wrong signal to those in the region who think they are above the laws of Ghana. We call on the government to ensure the safety and security of all judges in Bolgatanga and in the region. We are particularly concerned because Justice Graham is the judge who issued the arrest warrant for the imposter, Seidu Abagre, and to allow the criminal actions of faceless cowards to stand will deepen the pervasive culture of impunity.
We express our greatest disappointment at the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defense and Interior that recently decided to cancel an official visit to Bawku at the last minute, citing insecurity in the area. This attitude further sends a dangerous and worrisome signal to the people of Bawku. If the security personnel stationed at Bawku cannot guarantee the safety of an august group like the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defense for one day, how and why should the people of Bawku have confidence in the same security personnel? We do hereby appeal to the leadership of Parliament to send the Select Committee on Defense to Bawku as a matter of urgency to carry out their constitutional mandate.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, the calm that is currently prevailing in Bawku could turn out to be a false calm before a great storm. We therefore take this opportunity to remind all stakeholders that when the Bawku conflict first started in the 1950s, it was between Kusasis and Mamprusis within Bawku town. When it flared up in the 1980s, Kusasis from other parts of the Kusaug Traditional Area joined in the struggle for Kusasi self-determination. The recent conflict which started in November 2021 has widened the conflict zone to now engulf the whole of Kusaug Traditional Area in Upper East Region and Mamprusi Traditional Area in the North East Region. If immediate steps are not taken, the conflict can be exported to other parts of Ghana where Kusasis and Mamprusis reside. This will be a most dangerous turn of events.
We are therefore calling upon the government, not to waver in upholding the rule of law, and upon all political parties, and relevant institutions to condemn the lawless and reckless actions of the Chief of Nalerigu and join hands with the government in seeking the arrest and prosecution of the impostor Seidu Abagre. We also call on the National House of Chiefs to declare the actions of the Chief of Nalerigu illegal and untenable. For God’s sake, enough properties have been destroyed, enough blood has been shed and LIVES CONTINUE TO BE AT STAKE!
LONG LIVE THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA;
LONG LIVE THE RULE OF LAW;
LONG LIVE THE KUSAUG KINGDOM,
LONG LIVE HIS ROYAL EMINENCE, ABUGRAGO ASIGRI AZOKA II, BAWKU NABA AND OVERLORD OF THE KUSAUG TRADITIONAL AREA.
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