Hawa's Life Threatened

There is a renewed threat to the life of Madam Hawa Yakubu, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, after the hostility in her constituency in the 2000 general elections, seemed to have abated. This latest development has compelled Hawa, the ''Iron Lady'', to lodge a complaint at the Airport police station for the matter to be thoroughly investigated.

"Chronicle" gathered that the threat was carried out on board an Air force plane which was flying mourners from the funeral of the late John Achuliwor, MP for Navrongo Central and deputy minister for Communications and Technology, to Accra.


Chronicle sources said the event occurred in the presence of a Supreme Court judge (name withheld) and a leading private legal practitioner who were also returning from the funeral. Also in the plane were some family members of the late deputy minister.


The paper gathered that on March 16, after the final funeral rites of the late MP for Navrongo, Madam Hawa, together with some government officials, joined an Airforce plane which had earlier on in the day flown some dignitaries to the funeral.


While the plane was airborne around 7:00 p.m., Mrs. Henrietta Agudie, the wife of deputy Commissioner of Customs, Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS) shocked the passengers on board the plane when she verbally attacked and threatened the life of Hawa.


As the mourners pondered over what must be the possible cause of the attack, Mrs. Agudie reportedly charged: ''We have waged war against her, and I have taken the responsibility to kill her, even if I will be killed.''

Mrs. Agudie, refused to comment on the allegation when contacted last Saturday. She contended that since the issue was already in the hands of the police, she would not want to comment on it.


''Already the case is being handled by the police so I have nothing to say, but who asked you to contact me?'' she asked.


Chronicle sources at the Airport police station confirmed that Hawa indeed lodged a complaint at the station the very night that the alleged threat was carried out, and that the case was being investigated.


When Chronicle contacted Hawa, she confirmed the story and said since she had reported to the security agents, she would not want to delve into the incident.


''I want the security agents, to do their work,'' she said, adding ''I have said over and over again that my life and safety is in the hands of God but I think it would be reckless on my part if I failed to report an incident such as what happened in the plane to the law enforcement agency,'' she said.

When this reporter pressed further to find out whether there was any standoff between her and Mrs. Agudie that could cause the nasty incident, Hawa said she had no idea about any thing and therefore would not want to speculate and directed the paper to contact the police and stop asking further questions.


The latest threat on the life of Hawa is one of several threats on the life of the former Tourism Minister who resigned early last year.


The incident is reminiscent of a point in time in the NDC days when she was nearly shot at the International Conference Centre and had to be rescued by some good Samaritans after she had screamed for help.


Also before and after the 2000 general elections, she received several threatening messages, some of which asked her to abandon her decision to contest the Bawku Central seat.


This threat manifested in action when shortly after the elections, fighting broke out at her constituency that led to the loss of lives and properties running into billions of cedis.

It took the government considerable effort to broker peace in the constituency that had been plunged into tribal war.


Chronicle gathered that upon a complaint to the captain of the crew by a member of the security detail in the plane, the captain even detained Mrs. Agudie for questioning on arrival in Accra.


Reviewing the plane incident, a close associate of Hawa, who wants to remain anonymous, said he was not surprised that the MP was facing all sorts of troubles both within her party, which is in government, and outside too.


''If you have someone like Hawa, who is always fighting against corruption and injustices in society, there is no doubt that she is going to step on the toes of some people,'' he outlined.