Dagbon has been plunged into further mourning following the death of the Paramount Chief of the Tolon Traditional Area, Major Sulemana Abubakari (Rtd), just weeks after the passing of the Overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Abubakari Mahama II.
The Tolon Naa was one of the senior-most chiefs in the Dagbon traditional hierarchy, serving as the traditional defence chief of the Yaa Naa.
In Dagbon’s traditional military structure, the Tolon Naa played a key role in mobilising warriors and defending the kingdom.
Born in 1943 at Tali, the late chief served as an escort officer to Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, before retiring as a Major of the Ghana Armed Forces.
He was the first son of the late Tolon Naa Alhassan Sulemana. Following his father’s demise, he became Regent of Tolon in 2001, a position he held for 18 years, until he was enskinned as the substantive Tolon Naa in 2019 by the late Yaa Naa Abubakari Mahama II after completing his father’s funeral rites.
His death, coming shortly after that of the Yaa Naa, has deepened the sense of loss across the Dagbon Traditional Area, which is already united in grief.
The final rites for the late Tolon Naa are expected to be conducted in accordance with Islamic and Dagbon traditional customs, with details of the funeral to be announced by the traditional authorities.
