CHILDREN OF DAGBON KING APPEAL TO PRESIDENT (Page 47)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE sons and daughters of the late Dagbon King, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, have appealed to President John Agyekum Kufuor to help expedite action in apprehending those behind the murder of their father.
‘‘We, as heirs apparent to the Ya-Na, do hereby call on your Excellency to expeditiously find the killers of our father and also find, retrieve and restore his property to the family,’’ they intimated.
They said, “We do concur with arguments that murder cases sometimes take a long time to unravel, but not in the case of the murder of the Ya-Na, an act that was committed in broad day light after three continuous days of unrelenting attacks on the Gbewaa Palace that left in its wake enormous evidence, which could be used to catch the murderers,’’ they stated.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued to the press in Tamale and signed by 19 of the late King’s children on behalf of their other siblings. The Ya-Na and 40 other members of his retinue were killed on March 27, 2002 in the Gbewaa Palace.
They recalled that the murder of their father occurred on March 27, 2002 in the full glare of security agencies after three days of exchanges.
‘‘We were shocked to the bone, especially when most of us only learnt about our father’s death on radio, with government expressing regret at the incident,’’ they intimated.
According to the statement, even though they were saddened by the unfortunate event that was described by President J.A Kufuor as a “heinous crime,’’ their hearts were gladdened by the promise made by the President to hunt down the killers and punish them accordingly.
‘‘We the children of the slain King were, therefore, excited by this move and have been waiting patiently, but all in vain for five years now,’’ they lamented.
The statement also expressed concern that recent events in Dagbon, concerning the performance of the funeral of a former Ya-Na Mahammadu Abdulai at the old Gbewaa Palace which they alleged was partly the reason why their father was killed was only adding pain to their injuries.
‘‘We view this move by the Committee of Eminent Chiefs that appears to have demonstrated gross disregard for our tradition in arriving at this suggestions as not only a recipe for disaster, but also a blatant disregard for the precious life of our slain father,’’ it added.
The children further intimated that ‘‘any attempt by the government to assist the committee to perpetuate this wrongful act can only give room to the conclusion that emphasis is being placed on the funeral of Mahamadu Abdulai in the Gbewaa Palace to the detriment of finding and punishing the killers of our father.’’
They, therefore, urged the President to call the Committee of Eminent Kings’ attention to their concerns in order that their actions or inaction do not destroy the custom and traditions of Dagbon and also plunge the area into another crisis.
The three-member committee is chaired by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Paramount Chief of Gonja, Yagbon-Wura Bawa Doshie and the Mamprusi Traditional Area, Nayiri Na Bohigu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga as members.
At their meeting on November 18, 2007 in Kumasi , the committee recommended that the funeral of the Na Mahamadu Abdulai be performed between December 22 and January 7 next year at the old palace.