According to President Akufo-Addo, the resolution of the crisis and the non-enskinment of a Yaa-Naa for the past 15 years is a matter of great national concern.

Speaking to a group of chiefs from the Northern region on Friday, the president urged the chiefs to help bring lasting peace to the area.

“Peace in Dagbon just not just involved Dagbon but it involves the whole of Ghana. It is a matter of high national priority that we give Dagbon peace. Whatever formula that you (traditional chiefs) you agree on as a way forward for resolving the crisis in Dagbon will have the full support of my government and myself.”

“It is in the interest of all of us that this matter of Dagbon is put to rest. It is been there for far too long and it is retarding the progress of the area,” he said.

The Dagbon chieftaincy impasse between the Abudu and Andani royals gained notoriety after the demise of the late Dagbon overlord, Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II on March 27, 2002.

Although successive govenrment have promised to restore peace in the area and ensure a peaceful enskinment of a new overlord, none of such has been achieved.

But Akufo-Addo has said his government will do all it can to ensure that the fracas is addressed before the celebration of this year’s Damba festival.

“I’ll love to see that this year, by the time of the Damba festival in December, there is a new Yaa-Naa,” he said.

Meanwhile, the regional security council, is engaging in discussions with the various parties and stakeholders in the Dagbon skin affairs and also the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, headed by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to ensure that lasting peace is brought to Dagbon.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Gov’t supports Dagbon conflict resolution plans appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

At a press conference in Alavanyo, the youth group; Alavanyo Youth Association, observed that emerging security threats in the area are being stoked by criminals who hide behind a perceived land dispute to perpetrate heinous crimes.

[contextly_sidebar id=”pcuhgl0TWm20qccdkrxAacmULAmrjRFg”]The youth group said although relative calm has been restored in the area in the past months, the Divisional Commander’s approach to the recent killings leaves much to be desired.

“On the 20th April, 2017, we heard in the media that two (2) palm-wine tappers were killed on a plot of land which is about to be developed near Nkonya Ahenkro. We the people of Alavanyo and indeed our chiefs were shocked at the pronouncement of the Kpando Divisional Police Commander; Superintendent Prosper Ahlidza who told Accra based Joy FM in the morning that “It was an attack from the Alavanyos”.

“We the people of Alavanyo are however perturbed at the way and manner in which the Kpando divisional Police commander, Superintendent Prosper Ahlidza sat in the comfort of his home and without conducting any investigations into the matter, deemed it fit to conclude that the gunshots came from the direction of Alavanyo and therefore the killers of the two (2) palm-wine tappers are from Alavanyo.”

The group believes the commander’s prejudicial comments led to the “reappraisal” attacks from the people of Nkonya which led to the death of four their people.

Discounting the threats of the age-long land dispute, the leader of the group, Richard Kitsi, explained that, what is seen as a dispute between the two traditional areas is not. He said it’s rather a land litigation among individual families of Nkonya and Alavanyanyo, which has little bearing on the peace of the two traditional areas.

“We are glad the youth and people of Nkonya in their recent press conference – Setting the record right, stated that the true facts about the recent happenings in Nkonya and Alavanyo, there is no such thing as land dispute between Nkonya and Alavanyo traditional areas as always portrayed by the media, but rather between some individual families thus, three (3) Nkonya Tayi and six (6) Alavanyo Kpeme families.

“We want everyone to know that, there is no land dispute between us and we know our boundaries.”

Pledging their commitment to the peace building process, the youth group called on the security agencies in the area to begin fresh investigation into the unrest, with requisite gadgets and skills in fighting what they believe is an organized crime.

“Our security services should employ modern technologies for surveillance, if they don’t want to go into the bush. Having drones for example, line-up over the boundaries in the bush will put some fear into the people camped in the bush and you will also be afraid to move from your area to the other to commit crime.”

Meanwhile, the Divisional Police Commander in a Citi News interview, denied ever making statements to suggest that the people of Alavanyo were involved in the killing. He said he only talked about the direction of the bullet.

“If you listen to the interview, I only said that the direction of the bullet was from the Alavanyo side, but didn’t accuse anyone from Alavanyo of killing the said person.”

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By: King Norbert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Approach Nkonya-Alavanyo dispute intelligently – Youth group appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.