Minority donates to displaced persons in Yendi conflict

The Minority in Parliament has donated five million cedis worth of foodstuff as their contribution towards the upkeep of displaced persons of the Dagbon crises.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr John Mahama for the Minority Secretariat, said the donation was made by a two-member delegation currently visiting Tamale, Yendi, Bumkpurugu and Bawku to lend their assistance to efforts at finding lasting solutions to recent conflicts in those areas. The delegation was made up of Mr Alban Bagbin, the Minority Leader and Mrs Alice Boon, MP for Lambussie.

The statement said the delegation made the announcement of the donation when it visited the widows and household of the assassinated Ya-Na Andani Yakub's II, the Over-Lord of Dagomba Traditional Area and other persons displaced by the tragedy at Tamale.

The delegation also visited the Tamale Hospital where five persons including a Junior Secondary School student from the Ya-Na's palace were being treated for bullet wounds. It said the delegation donated 500,000 cedis to the injured.

The group also held a series of meetings, first with representatives of the Andani family led by the Kumbun Na and then with two groups of the Abudu family in Nanton and Tamale.

At the first meeting, Mr Bagbin expressed the condolences of the Minority to the family on the death of Ya-Na Andani and 28 others. He said the Minority was prepared to play an active role in ensuring that justice was done and repeated the call on the government to set up an independent judicial inquiry to investigate the assassination of the Ya-Na.

The statement said the Kumbun Na said true peace could only be established if justice were seen to have been done and reiterated the call for the setting up a judicial enquiry into the incident.

The Kumbun Na also stated that the family had evidence and witnesses to support the allegations they had made against various persons for their complicity in the Yendi massacre. The statement said during the first meeting with the Abudu group, the Nanton Na expressed appreciation for the visit and said he was shocked by the death of the Ya-Na.

He explained that he had an excellent relationship with the Ya-Na and was very shaken by his death. He also supported the call for a full-scale investigation into his death. The meeting with the second group of the Abudu family took place at the late Alhaji Yahaya Iddi's house.

The statement said the family welcomed the visit of the Minority and said they were encouraged by the participation of the minority in finding a solution to the crisis. The statement said the delegation also visited the family of the Nachin Na (Chief of the youth) who died defending the Ya-Na.