A group of unknown intruders on Friday night forced their way into a radio station in Tamale and severely injured one of the station’s anchors and three other panelists before vandalizing transmission gadgets as tensions flared in Dagbon over preparations toward getting a new Yaa Naa for the fallen traditional area.
The raiders, suspected to be sympathizers of the Andani Royal Family besieged the Justice FM, whiles a regular programme was running and attacked all four men including the presenter before turning their fury on the station equipment, forcing the live show to an abrupt end.
The panelists have been identified as members of DAMAZ (Dagbon Malima Zungo), a pressure group rooting for an end to the chieftaincy crisis.
Yunus Yiripha, host of the station’s morning show confirmed the attack to StarrNews and said the members of the pressure group on the show were responding to a press statement by Concerned Youth of the Andani family where they accused them of being a political tool backed by the NPP government to undermine the family in favour of rival Abudus.
This so-called Concerned Youth of the Andani Family last week said DAMAZ was a propaganda tool sponsored by the Nana Addo-led government to use pressure and other arm-twisting means to compel them to negotiate timetable and to end the end the decades’ old chieftaincy stalemate.
Spokesman for the pro Andani youth, Basharu Dabali also accused the NPP government of supporting the Abudu family anytime it was in government assistance they were worried about the renewed interest by the party on the performance of the funeral rites of late Naa Mahamadu Abdulai and went ahead to warn of swift and far-reaching responses this time round to any attack on the Gbewaa Palace as witnessed in May 2002.
Yunus said the public relations officer of the DAMAZ and his two colleagues were responding to this explosives allegation which was being transmitted on another radio station, Diamond FM, when the heavily built men burst into the studios and beat up all the occupants.
He told StarrNews the angry intruders plucked off electrical gadgets and kicked equipment which forced the station to a total shut down for moments before police crisis response team arrived.
According to him, a gentleman who was just a spectator in the studio also suffered the fury of these suspected Andani youth who fled the scene before the police came.
Police have reportedly secured the network station and the normal programmes have resumed whiles a probe launched into the attack, Yunus indicated.
However, on the same night, in what appears to coordinated attacks, the tensions rapidly spread to Gushegu where three rooms at the Kpatinga palace suffered a rash of arson attack by some unknown youth.
Assemblyman for Nayilifong electoral area, Suale Alidu said the palace was set ablaze midnight and that many vital traditional regalia and items were consumed by the fire.
He said police have visited the scene and the elders of the palace were still accessing the damage.
He said police were unable to identify the perpetrators and no arrest made yet.
Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/Eliasu Tanko
