The Mamprugu Youth Association has implored government to hasten its engagement with the overlord of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and other eminent chiefs to mediate in finding a resolution to the Bawku chieftaincy impasse.
The Association, at a press conference, made the call to the government expressing the urgency with which ameliorating the crisis is vital.
“Bawku was founded by our ancestors and our utmost prayer is to see lasting peace in our beloved town and the entire traditional area,” Spokesperson of the Association, Prof. Ishaq Ibrahim, noted.
He also debunked an assertion being peddled by one Rev. Azumah and his Kusaug People’s Congress that, “there are military posts all around the periphery of the Mamprusi enclave, forming a protective wall around the Mamprusi community and deterring people in the outskirts from accessing the town centre.”
According to him, the Kusasis rather prevent some of their own from having access to their territories and not the other way round.
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“Perhaps, what the Kusaug People’s Congress is alluding to is that the military is preventing their armed Kusasi bandits from getting access to the town center.”
He further stated “we wish to admonish the Kusasis to be concerned about the banditry, attacks with impunity carried out by their own youth in the Bawku area and not be concerned about happenings in the North East. Ever since the eruption of violence in Bawku, there have been over a dozen attacks on the Bolga-Bawku-Pulimakom and Bolga-Bawku-Kulungungu highway with uncountable deaths and destruction to property. All these attacks are always perpetrated by Kusasi youth with impunity and celebrated by their leaders. This should be the main concern for the leaders of the Kusaug People’s Congress”.
He said the Association has taken notice of how the Kusaug People’s Congress which represents the Kusasis elite describes in derogatory terms, members of the Ghana Armed Forces as “fresh recruits, very inexperienced, tweaky and trigger-happy personnel.”
“This disrespect towards our military needs to be condemned by all Ghanaians in strong terms. It is not surprising that Kusasi bandits, obviously motivated by the likes of Rev Azumah, will shoot, and injure 3 military officers and continuously threaten to unleash mayhem on the security services in Bawku.
“These are the kind of people we have as adversaries in Bawku. The surprising thing is that it is the same military men the Kusaug Peoples’s Congress describe as “very inexperienced, tweaky and trigger-happy personnel” that protect the Kusasi stooge Aninchema Abugrago day and night in his hideout in Gingande, Bawku. On this note, we strongly advise the government to withdraw the services of the military at Aninchema Abugrago’s house with immediate effect,” their statement further stated.
The Association also described the insecurity around the Bawku Presby Hospital as a falsity.
“This is palpable falsehood and part of their grand plan to lure the Presbyterian Church into closing the hospital. For the record, the hospital and nurses training college are well protected by the military and very functional as we speak.
“Furthermore, the facts on the ground does not support the false picture they are presenting that Kusasi enclaves outside the town are peaceful. The security agencies will acknowledge the fact that all the banditry and criminal attacks occur at Kusasi territories and not in the Mamprusi territories.”
He revealed that, a kusasi youth leader by name Haruna Abugri in a radio interview issued threatening words to the presiding judge at the Bolgatanga High Court II simply because the judge granted a stay of execution application made by counsel for Bawku Naaba Alhaji Seidu Abagre.
The Association is therefore, urging the security agencies to pick up Haruna Abugri for prosecution and grant the judge all the security and assurances he needs to conduct the case without fear.
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