Crime on the rise in Nakong; chief appeals for police station

Criminal activities in Nakong, a community in the Kasena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region have surged due to the lack of a Police Station in the area, Paramount Chief of the Nakong Traditional Area, P3 J.B Afogachie I, has said.

According to him, criminals, who are mostly not members of his community, take advantage of the deficiency to engage in various acts, including stealing, which have had serious effects on the community and its good enviable name enjoyed over years as a crime free area.

Speaking at his Palace during a call on him by the Upper East Regional Minister, Paulina Abayage, on Tuesday, P3 Afogachie stated that the activities of the criminals have made it difficult for his people to engage in animal rearing which is their major source of income.

He said, “When you look around you see lots of animals; sheep, goats, cattle and other birds. We are farmers and we rear animals. But because of the activities of the criminals, who steal the animals and other farm produce, we are unable to grow in our farming activities”.

“Nakong has always been known to be a peaceful place. When you come here and you lose your pin, be sure to get it back. It will be kept safe and returned to you because we, the people of Nakong, are good people. We don’t keep what doesn’t belong to us. It is however unfortunate that the activities of these criminals is making Nakong lose its good name,” he added.

Nakong-Pio, who was first on the call, congratulated the Minister on her appointment and appealed to her office to address the challenges confronting his community in the areas of drinking water, health and education.

He assured the Minister of his support to her tenure and particularly asked for the completion of a health Centre project in the area which has stalled due to lack of funding.

P3 Murtala Ayikude Zangwio Atoge lV, Paramount Chief of Katiu, commended government for the implementation of its various social interventions with a call on government to extend the school feeding program to his area.

He stated that the absence of the feeding program in Katiu has hugely affected enrolment and attendance at the various schools in his community.

“We want government to revisit the school feeding program in Katiu. In the Katiu community, majority of the school going age children remain at home due to lack of the feeding program. Several appeals have been made but to no avail,” he asserted.

On education, Katiu- Pio rounded up his address with a call for solutions to issues confronting education and the establishment of a senior school in his area. He also appealed to the Minister to upgrade the Katiu CHIPS compound to a Health Centre to enable the facility handle the high number of clients that patronize it for their health needs. He stated the high patronage has created a lot of burden on the fewer amenities at the CHIPS Compound.

Kayoro–Pio, Pe Oscar Batabi Tiyiamu ll, thanked government for offloading the burden of having to sell their livestock to cater for the fees of their wards with the introduction of the free–SHS policy.

According to him, the number of parents who struggled to pay fees of their wards had reduced tremendously. A development which has enabled parents to save enough money for other profitable ventures.

He was also of the hope that the One Village, One Dam policy when commenced and completed in his area will help curtail the challenge of rural–urban drift that has had debilitating effects on the growth of his community. He appealed to the Minister and government to start work on the dam as soon as possible.

P3 Batabi Tiyiamu ll concluded his speech with a passionate call on government to as matter of urgency come to the rescue of the only road that leads to the area.

The road which serves as the principal linkage to the Kayoro community and other parts of the district is in a deplorable state. Erosion has eaten a better part of it leaving deep gullies that make passage difficult.

Upper East regional Minister, Paulina Abayage, thanked the traditional authorities, whom she described as pivotal in the development of the region, for embracing her and assured them of her commitment to work to bring the region the needed transformation.

Ambassador Abayage said her office will work assiduously to provide communities with basic infrastructure such as extension of electric power to the areas, provision of portable drinking water, schools and health centres to promote better living.

Garnering support for government, the Minister urged traditional authorities in the region to throw their weight on the social intervention policies of government such as the one-village, one dam, free-SHS, rearing for food and jobs and the planting for food and jobs, adding that government is making frantic efforts to offer a betterment in the lives of people in the region.

In return, Mr. Ataogye assured traditional authorities, which he described as pivotal in the development of the district, of the Assembly's unrelenting support for their areas.