Amidst renewed tensions in Yendi, the Andani Royal Family marked the annual memorial service of the death of the late Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II who was violently toppled on March 27, 2002 in a deadly palace coup, with renewed calls for justice.
It is 16yrs now since the late King of Dagbon was assassinated in a palace massacre after a three day intense violence and bloodshed between the Abudu and Andani royal families.
About 40 other innocent people perished on that tragic date.
On Tuesday, March 28, 2018, the family gathered at the huge compound of the Tamale residence of the late Yaa Naa, in Lamashegu, and opened the celebration with spiritual rituals before ending with a loud outpouring of long-held frustrations, emotions and anger in a tumultuous news conference.
The family took the opportunity to demand again for justice for the victims of the 2002 massacre and cautioned government of further foot dragging.
“Sixteen years on, the Andani family and all peace loving people of Dagbon are still calling for justice. Since there is no statute of limitation in a crime involving murder, we continue to urge government to live up to its responsibility and ensure that those responsible for the heinous crimes are brought to justice”
“We further wish to caution government that procrastinating on this matter and allowing a long lapse of time will not consign the murders to history, or erase it from our active memory. Government should be very aware that its failure, historically, to deliver justice where justice is due has only helped in promoting a culture of violence and impunity in Dagbon”, a staunch member of the family, Basharu Dabali read the statement.
The family said, past failures by the state to deal with acts of deliberate use of force by the rival family in the ongoing chieftaincy disputes emboldened them to eventual carried out the 2002 attack on the Gbewaa Palace.
“Emboldened by the massacre of 1969 which went unpunished, these sinister forces in Dagbon took their murderous rampage to a higher and bloodier level. More worrying, it has emboldened these criminal elements to continue on that same destructive trail which has led Dagbon to the present crisis. An example is their recent threat to occupy the Gbewaa Palace to perform the funeral of Mahamadu Abdulai”, the family said, referencing an incident last week that necessitated the deployment of soldiers and police to the traditional capital, Yendi.
The family also express frustration at the ongoing mediation talks led by the Asantehene Otumfour Osei Tutu II, saying the Committee of Eminent Chiefs “lacks courage and political will” to find a lasting solution to the protracted chieftaincy stalemate.
“Dagbon has an unwritten constitution, embedded in its traditional and customary practices. This unwritten constitution has the necessary built in provisions which, if properly adhered to and enforced, devoid of political interference, should be able to rectify all infractions of the past and restore order and stability to the Dagbon system of traditional authority”, the statement said.
It urged government and its appointees to stop the “blatant political interference in the Dagbon chieftaincy matters, and rather use their good offices to facilitate the work of the legitimate custodians of Dagbon traditions and customs”.
The family ended by saying that the Kampakuyana Naa Yakubu Abdulai Andani, acting Regent of Dagbon, was deeply troubled by the overall consequences of ongoing crisis in Dagbon and called on government to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the unprecedented violence, sixteen years ago.
According to the family, the March incident was a “cruel betrayal of the aspirations of the people of Dagbon and called for a collective efforts to end the disagreement for progress to triumph.
The ceremony also saw a rare attendance of prominent chiefs from the rival Abudu royal gate including Regents of Mion and Nanton and reps of a former military strongman, Regent of Tolon, Major Sulamana and chief of Banvum.
The Sangnarigu Naa, Gulkpe Naa, Kpatingalana and Moglaa Lana were some of the chiefs from the Andani royal gate who graced the occasion.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5fm/Eliasu Eliasu
