Gonja Traditional Council charges Kpembewura 2 Cows and GHC 2,000 over Salaga riots

The Paramount Chief of the Kpembe Traditional Area of Gonja Kpembewura Bismark Haruna Banbage has been charged to pay an amount of GH¢2,000 alongside two Cows by the Gonja Traditional Council at an extraordinary Gonja Tradional Council meeting yesterday Thursday, February 21, 2019 and covered by Bole based Nkilgi FM.

Paramount Chiefs across the newly created Savanna region held the meeting at Damongo to deliberate on the inauguration of the newly created Savanna region and the riots resulting in the burning of the NPP office at Salaga in the East Gonja Municipality came up for discussion at this extraordinary Gonja Tradional Council gathering opened to the public and graced by politicians, religious leaders and the security services.

The Kpembewura was also charged to renovate the destroyed office of the NPP and hand it over to the party but the Buipewura who is the Vice- President of the Gonja Traditional Council asked that not to be part of the sanctions of Kpembewura since that is a political matter that has nothing to do with the Savanna Region.

The Gonja Traditional Council also decided on a visit to the Jubilee House to render an official apology to the President Nana Akufo-Addo for the misbehaviour of some Salaga Youth after Damongo was named capital of the Savanna Region and the delegation is expected to include about a dozen prominent Chiefs from Gonjaland expected to be led by the National Chief Imam Sheik Nuhu Sherabutu into the Presidency. Funding for the visit is to be provided by the Kpembewura as part of the punishment of the Gonjaland Traditional Council.

The Kpembewura at the meeting took full responsibility of the action or the youth as the Chief of the area and promised to pay all that has been charged.

Speaking at the meeting, the Northern Regional Police commander, Mr Timothy Yorga expressed worries about the rate of high way robbery especially on the Bole to Bamboi stretch of road and urged citizens to volunteer information to the police to help arrest the ruthless robbers. He went further to appeal to the government through the Yagbonwura to help the police with pickups and other logistics that will enable them perform their duties without hindrance.

Mr Yorgah further appeal to the Overlord of Gonja and all chiefs of the Savanna region to resolve all chieftaincy disputes in order to facilitate and accelerate development and improve the living conditions of residents. The Police chief demanded an end to all land and chieftaincy hostility in Gonjaland. According to him, chiefs should review the process of land acquisition in their localities, proposing that chiefs must seek technical advice from the Town and country planning officials before selling or leasing lands to individuals or companies because the Town and country planning experts would help design better layout.

He also used the opportunity to request from Yagbonwura and the Chiefs of the newly created Savanma region to allocate 25 to 30 acres of land to the police to put up infrastructure in the Savanna regional capital of Damongo.

The Chief of Buipe and Vice- President of the Gonja Traditional Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor used the platform to discuss a press release condemning the burning and destruction of NPP party office in Salaga, following the announcement of Damongo as the regional capital of the Savanna region.

Buipewura Jinapor said the yet to be made public release will thank the President for his courageous decision in creating Savanna region and will apologise to President on what happened in Salaga.

The DCE for Bole Bole District Madam Veronica Alele who who represented government at the meeting appealed to the chiefs to look into lifting the curfew that has been imposed on Bole and its surrounding areas since that is retarding development in the area.

Deliberating on how to inaugurate the newly created region, the Tulwewura suggested the formation of a seven member committee to help look into the inauguration process but a former northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammee Muniru Limuna asked for the expansion of the membership of the committee since the inauguration must be organised well. He also asked for the inclusion of the three former Regional ministers namely Alhaji Gilbert Seidu Iddi, Alhaji Boniface Boniface Abubakari Sadik, other prominent people from Gonjaland like Dr Abu Sakara, all past and present DCE’s, former and current MPs in the Savanna area to help the in the work of committee.

The date for the inauguration is expected to be announced by the committee after every thing is done with some chiefs suggesting that it should be merged with the Annual Gonjaland youth Association Congress that will be held in Damongo in April, 2019 but many of the chiefs and people present never supported that idea and said the inauguration must be done separately.