| Don't know what I want But I know how to get it I wanna destroy the passer by |
Last night we got a telephone call from a colleague, the whole town of Tamale was going crazy: people were riotting, barrackades were being built and tyres were burnt.
On Wednesday, 27th March 2002, the Ya Naa Yakubu Andani II, the paramount chief of the Dagomba's (the ruling tribe of the Northern region of Ghana, where Tamale is) got murdered and decapitated. This has brought a lot of complex situations to the whole Northern Region.
After years of struggle, 15 suspects were caught and a long legal process started. Leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, who have a large number of followers in the North, had promised to arrest and prosecute the killers of the late Ya Na when campaigning in the run up to the 2008 elections, which they won eventually, making their leader Atta Mills the current president of Ghana.
Last night, all 15 suspects standing trial for this murder have been acquitted and discharged by the Fast Track High Court in Accra. Trial Judge, Justice E K Ayebi disposed of the matter for want of evidence. The Defense counsel led by Hon Samuel Atta Akyea filed a ’Submission of No Case’ following the failure of the Prosecution to present more witnesses. (source: Dagbon.net)
Later that day, Andani youth, angered by the ruling of an Accra Fast Track High Court, started to cause trouble in Tamale. The office of the NDC has been set on fire, causing extensive damage as computers and other valuable items in the office have been reduced to ashes. (source: Think Ghana)
The police couldn't handle it anymore, so the military had to come in to stop the destruction. According to witnesses, one of the youngsters has been shot around the Central Mosque. (source: Think Ghana)
Around Lamashegu roundabout, the NDC was constructing a new office and as I was guiding staff to their home to make sure that they would arrive safely, I saw the new office was lit by fire. Slowly it was burning down and now only the block walls and part of the roof are still standing. Sarcastically, in front of the site there is a big publicity panel by a local bank stating: "Win 3 houses in 18 months!". At the moment, I don't dare to take a picture of it as prove, I fear surrounding people will not completely appreciate the irony of this.
Today we will have a curfew from 11pm until 5am the next morning. We will have to close our downtown restaurant early to enable our staff to return home in time.
News articles:
More on the Dagbon Chieftancy Crisis:
On Wednesday, 27th March 2002, the Ya Naa Yakubu Andani II, the paramount chief of the Dagomba's (the ruling tribe of the Northern region of Ghana, where Tamale is) got murdered and decapitated. This has brought a lot of complex situations to the whole Northern Region.
After years of struggle, 15 suspects were caught and a long legal process started. Leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, who have a large number of followers in the North, had promised to arrest and prosecute the killers of the late Ya Na when campaigning in the run up to the 2008 elections, which they won eventually, making their leader Atta Mills the current president of Ghana.
Last night, all 15 suspects standing trial for this murder have been acquitted and discharged by the Fast Track High Court in Accra. Trial Judge, Justice E K Ayebi disposed of the matter for want of evidence. The Defense counsel led by Hon Samuel Atta Akyea filed a ’Submission of No Case’ following the failure of the Prosecution to present more witnesses. (source: Dagbon.net)
Later that day, Andani youth, angered by the ruling of an Accra Fast Track High Court, started to cause trouble in Tamale. The office of the NDC has been set on fire, causing extensive damage as computers and other valuable items in the office have been reduced to ashes. (source: Think Ghana)
The police couldn't handle it anymore, so the military had to come in to stop the destruction. According to witnesses, one of the youngsters has been shot around the Central Mosque. (source: Think Ghana)
Around Lamashegu roundabout, the NDC was constructing a new office and as I was guiding staff to their home to make sure that they would arrive safely, I saw the new office was lit by fire. Slowly it was burning down and now only the block walls and part of the roof are still standing. Sarcastically, in front of the site there is a big publicity panel by a local bank stating: "Win 3 houses in 18 months!". At the moment, I don't dare to take a picture of it as prove, I fear surrounding people will not completely appreciate the irony of this.
Today we will have a curfew from 11pm until 5am the next morning. We will have to close our downtown restaurant early to enable our staff to return home in time.
News articles:
- Court acquits Ya-Na murder suspects (Dagbon.net)
- NDC office in Tamale on fire (Think Ghana)
- One person shot dead by military in Tamale (Think Ghana)
- Curfew imposed in Tamale as tension rises (Think Ghana)
- Northern NDC gives govt two weeks to reverse Ya Na case ruling (Vibe Ghana)
- Northern NDC executives withdraw services (Joy FM)
More on the Dagbon Chieftancy Crisis:
- The Truth And Hard Facts (Ghanaweb, 2005)
- A Sad Saga Of Animosity, Vendetta, And Disunity... What Next? (full PDF, 60 pages)
- What Next? (short introduction in Modern Ghana, 2005)
President Mills frustrated at ruling on Ya-Na: "until we are able to find the murderers of the Ya-Na, we cannot rest"
ReplyDelete(Ghana News Agency, March 31)