'Security wilfully allowing Dagbon crisis to fester'

Security agencies in the Northern Region are deliberately allowing the chieftaincy crisis in Dagbon to fester, the Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC) has alleged.

“It appears that the security presence up north, by some machinations, has not been able to contain the situation. Unfortunately up there, it appears the security is lax. This thing, as we are hearing, started about two weeks ago, and the security appears not to be in control. They are waiting for it to degenerate and then we see everybody running helter-skelter as if we are interested in containing the situation.

“Nobody can tell me the situation in Dagbon is more devastating or deeper than the situation we find in the Ga area, Winneba, and amongst the people of the Volta Region, and yet, it appears we have been able to contain those situations and working towards a peaceful resolution.

“So, I think that it is a deliberate thing if you ask me, that the security just sits back, allows the situation to escalate and then they come in pretending that they want to contain the situation,” Mr Bernard Mornah told Ekow Mensah-Shalders on Class91.3fm’s Executive Breakfast Show on Monday, January 25.

Mr Mornah’s comments follow the revival of tensions between the Andani and Abudu royal gates in Dagbon.

Some people from the Andani royal family, over the weekend, called on government and national security to intervene to avert any violent clashes after the Abudu royal family served notice that they will forcibly enter the Gbewaa Palace to perform the funeral rites of late regent, Naa Abdulai Muhamadu IV.

The group from the Andani side said the royal family is prepared to square off with the Abudus should the need arise.

Spokesperson for the Andani royal gate, Chief O.S. Mahamud, speaking to Class News, said the Abudus had issued a threat much earlier that they will go and take possession of the old palace.

Chief Mahamud, however, said if government did not respond to their request for protection by a certain date, they will advise themselves.

“We are saying that it is the responsibility of government and the security agencies to protect us …but if they [Abudus] will not respect the law …then of course, we must be compelled to defend our rights,” he said.

Chief Mahamud said their regent lives very close to the old palace and any attempt by the Abudus to take over the old palace will be tantamount to a declaration of war.

“We are relying on the national government and the security agencies to protect the palace, but if they are not doing it, we are not going to allow irresponsible elements to come and kill the regent as they did in the past,” he said.

“In the past, we thought government would defend the late Ya-Na but for three days the security services just abandoned him, so, having seen that event, we cannot allow another such incident to happen again.”

Chief Mahamud accused the Abudus of always initiating war on them.

“The Andani's have been under attack since time immemorial. The late Ya-Na’s father, soon after his death, they attacked us at the palace and killed more than 30 people. This Ya-Na, too, who, died, they attacked the palace and killed more than 30 people, so, we are becoming restless and because of our law-abiding nature, we normally don’t react, but if things will continue by this threat, it means they are telling us that what they did in the past they will do it again, and we are serving notice that we are not going to allow them, we can’t sit down for people to start coming to kill us and nothing is being done."

Chief Mahamud stressed that whatever action the Andanis take will depend on “what others do, but we shall not initiate any violence”.

“I am not saying we are for war, but if we are forced [we’ll have no option]. We can’t go to war when the national government is defending us… it is only in the absence of the government giving us the right protection that we will not allow people to come and slaughter us.” However, the Regional Minister has said at the weekend that the war threat did not have the endorsement of the Andani Royal Family as a whole.