RE: The elevation of Naniik to paramountcy and the disagreement from the Tamoung Clan in Bimbagu

My attention has been drawn to a news item widely circulated and published by some media houses, including Joy News Online, TV3, dated August 15, 2024, with two captions:

“Tensions Mount in Bimbagu as Residents Oppose Elevation of a Sub-Chief,” and

“Bimbagu Residents Protest Against Promotion of Sub-Chiefs.”

The story was carried through a press conference held by some disgruntled youth of the Tamoung Clan in Bimbagu.

In their press conference, the youth mentioned my name. It stated categorically that I am orchestrating and leading the process for the Naniik Naba to be elevated as the Paramount Chief of Naniik. They went ahead to peddle falsehoods and twist acts and history in the area.

To begin with, I am not a native of Yunyoo, as the disgruntled youth claimed, but I am a full-blooded Bimoba from the Naniik clan and live in Jimbale. It might interest you to know that my mother, Tanjong, comes from the Tamoung clan, the daughter of Nabat Laar (deceased), and Madow, the daughter of Saloa from the Nandook clan, both in Bimbagu. Nabat Laar and Nabat Mogtiri were from the same father, Nabat, but from different mothers.

My father was Bokin Laar Konlan Bauk, popularly known as Chan Bauk, from the Naniik clan, who was very instrumental in the enskinment of both the first and second chiefs of the Nanniik clan, Naniik Naba Napot Konlan in 1953, and Naniik Naba Kamojual Lambon in the 1970s, respectively. Some of the people in the Tamoung clan in Bimbagu are my direct maternal cousins. I know one Abraham Saman Dubik, who is a grandson of Nabat Mogtiri, so I am surprised that they are claiming that I am a native of Yunyoo, which implies that I am a Mamprusi.

These same people (Tamoung Clan) were the cause of all the conflicts in the area, and they fought with most of the tribes and clans. Today, they are threatening the peace of the area again. Let me state emphatically that the Tamoung clan doesn’t own any land in Naniik. Even though some of them, numbering a few houses, are settlers living in the Naniik clan lands, their claims in their press statement that they are superior to the Naniik clan are palpable lies, and history does not support that. Let me re-emphasize that the Tamoung clansmen are our tenants occupying Naniik clan farmlands in Naniik. We allowed them into our lands to farm, and later on, they started building for settlement. So, we see them as our tenants who should owe allegiance to us. They cannot claim that they are independent of the Naniik Paramountcy.

We do not share any boundary with Bagri Daana. The Bagri Daana, the supposed Chief of the Tamoung Clan who claims to be chief of Bimbagu, is technically a sub-chief to the Konkomba Chief, Bimbagu Rana, who owns all the lands in Bimbagu and shares a common boundary with the Naniik clan lands over which the Naniik Naba rules. There is nothing like Bagri land in that area. The Bagri Daana does not own any land.

The history is that they came and met the Konkombas already there, and the Konkombas accepted them and lived with them and farmed together. The Tamoung Clan, however, later refused, neglected, or failed to pay allegiance to the Bimbagu Rana but decided to approach successive Overlords of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, for enskinment. But the Nayiri on those occasions refused their request and often referred them to the Konkomba Chief, Bimbagu Rana, to be enskinned as a sub-chief, but they had always refused to do so. They rather resorted to illegally running to the Bunkpurugu Naba to be enskinned over the years to take care of their clan interest.

About The Naniik Clan Lands:

The land the Naniik clan currently occupies was acquired in the late 1700s by Naniik clansmen led by Nyaan Konlan Kamuajual. It was a virgin forest. Some of the early settlers of Naniik clansmen included Najapian, Tamatouku, Boklik, Kumok Laar, Jabong, Yaatik, and Bojouk. The Naniik community is made up of Naniik town itself and its environs, including Nayin Gberuk and the area around the River, which separates it from Binde territory, recently referred to as Nagikong. It is contiguous. It is in the Bunkpurugu/Nakpanduri District of the North East Region. The Naniik clan and its communities belong to the Bimoba ethnic group in the Bunkpurugu Nakpanduri district. The Naniik clan, like any other Bimoba clan, has been in this land for centuries. They had and have always been ruled by the Mamprugu Kingdom since its inception. The advent of the colonial era under the colonial administration has never changed the history of the area.

Before the colonial era, the whole area was contiguous and ruled by the Kingdom of Mamprugu.

Later, the Allied forces, after the defeat of Germany, which had colonized the area, divided the area into two, with one side Togoland being ruled by France and the other side being ruled by the British.

In 1954, a plebiscite was conducted to decide whether the two divided areas should reunite as a country. The British side decided to remain under the British, and the other side remained in Togo, which, with other areas in the British territory, attained independence as the Republic of Ghana.

The Naniik clan has always been a unique clan. We, along with the Kpikpira and Nabakib, who are descendants of Turunma, are the people who celebrate the only Bimoba ancestral Festival, popularly known as DANJUAR, annually here in Ghana. We can also be found in Togo, where we own the Paramountcy of Dasouti and our ancestral home, Naniik.

Chieftaincy Jurisdiction:

The supposed petitioners in the press conference claimed Naniik Naba, the Paramount Chief of Naniik, is a “sub Chief,” but they never told the world the superior Chief under whom he has been operating. To set the record straight, the Naniik clan has always been independent and owing allegiance only to the Nayiri, the Overlord of Mamprugu.

The current Naniik Naaba is the third chief, and all his predecessors, like him, had always been enskinned by the Nayiri. The first Naniik Naba was enskinned in 1953, 71 years ago, as a Division of the Mamprugu Traditional Council by the then Nayiri, Naa Sheriga Abdulai I. Therefore, the supposed petitioners cannot tell the world that their predecessors were not aware of this important occasion during which the Nayiri conveyed the entire Naniik lands to the Naniik clan and enskinned a chief over it to rule them on his behalf.

It should be noted that none of their predecessors from the Tamoung clan or any other clan ever raised any objection to that act at that time or laid claim to the Naniik lands.

In 2022, the Naniik Naba applied to the overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, to be elevated to Paramountcy.

Following his request, Nayiri granted Naniik Naba’s request, and the processes started. When the Tamoung clan in Bimbagu, who claim to be owners of Bimbagu land, heard this, they kicked against it, even though they neither own Naniik land nor its chieftaincy. They claimed that their skin is “Senior” to that of the Naniik clan, which history does not support.

The Tamoung clan lives on the land of the Konkomba chief of Bimbagu, whose land shares a common boundary with the Naniik land. The boundary between the two communities starts from the Bimbagu primary school on the Bimbagu-Bunkpurugu road, with the Naniik community known as Kunkomon. This is not disputed.

Similarly, the boundary runs southwards along the hills to the north and south. The newly established Senior High School is right in Naniik land. The Bagri (Tamoung) people, over the years, have been allowed to farm in that area due to the benevolence of the Naniik clan.

Naniik and Tamoung are two different clans of the Bimoba ethnic group, and they have never in history owned the Naniik land together with the Naniik clan. Again, Naniik does not owe allegiance to the Tamoung, and vice versa.

The title of the Tamoung chief of Bimbagu is called Bagri. As of 2022, the Tamoung chief has already died, and they have since not enskinned one to replace him. They have a regent who is taking care of their affairs. He had died before 2022, and it was the Regent and his Tamoung clansmen who objected to the elevation of Naniik Naaba to Paramountcy by the Nayiri on the grounds that they are “Senior” to the Naniik Naaba.

Judgment

The Tamoung Clan petitioned the Nayiri in 2022, stating that they were senior to the Naniik skin and were also claiming ownership of the lands in Naniik. The Nayiri ruled in favour of the Naniik clan based on the facts and history of the area. The Nayiri, in his ruling on 22/12/2022, stated categorically the following:

The Bagri (Regent) Gbang Daana, the Tamoung chief of Bimbagu, is not a chief of Bimbagu and should never hold himself as such.

That Bagri Daana is not a chieftaincy title.

Even if it were a chieftaincy title, he (Bagri Chief) would still be a junior chief to the Naniik Chief.

Bagri Daana doesn't have any jurisdiction in Bimbagu, which means he has no land in Bimbagu, as he is living on the land of the Konkomba chief who, by title and everything, owns the land on which the Bagri Daana and his people reside.

The Title Bagri Daana is never known in Mamprugu, and it's a title known in the Republic of Togo, where you can find Bagri as a place.

The Konkomba chief is Bimbagu Rana and owns all the lands of Bimbagu.

The Bagri Daana can become a sub-chief to the Konkomba chief of Bimbagu by approaching the Bimbagu Rana for him to enskin him as his sub-chief.

He only knows that Naniik Naba has jurisdictional boundaries with the Bimbagu Rana (Konkomba chief).

By this ruling, the Nayiri categorically stated that the Naniik Naba does not owe allegiance to the Bagri Daana.

The overlord consequently ordered that the customary processes triggered to elevate Naniik Naba should continue.

Who is Bagri Daana?

It is to be noted that the first Bagri Daana to be enskinned by the Nayiri and Mamprugu Kingdom was Jadan Toatir, the one who died recently, and they have not yet enskinned another to replace him. Before then, they had always refused to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Bimbagu Rana over them. Previously, whenever they went to successive Nayiris and requested to be enskinned as the Bimbagu Rana, they refused them with the explanation that the Konkomba chief is the Bimbagu Rana.

Jadan Toatir (deceased) pleaded with the Nayiri and the Mamprugu Traditional Council that since he had come to the Nayiri, he should not go back empty-handed. He pleaded that the Nayiri should confer on him the Title “Bagri Daana,” which is the title of a Tamoung Shrine Priest in Bagri in Togo and that he was going to serve his people there.

Little did the Nayiri know that he was going to Bimbagu to pose as chief to rule over the Tamoung clan and other Bimoba clans in Bimbagu to the detriment of the Bimbagu Rana. He was, therefore, the first Tamoung man to be enskinned as a chief by the Nayiri.

Previously, they had illegally resorted to always being enskinned by the Bunkpurugu Naba whenever successive Nayiris had refused them, despite the fact that they are residing in the Bimbagu Rana territory and the Bunkpurugu lacks jurisdiction over that area.

As a result of the elevation of the Naniik Naba by the Nayiri and the National House of Chiefs, the Tamoung people are threatening to go to war with not only the Naniik clan but any other clans they claim to be living in Bimbagu land, including the Konkombas, who are the known owners as ruled by the Nayiri in his Judgment between the Naniik and the Tamoung case on 22/12/2022. These facts can easily be ascertained by everybody without even being told.

It must be emphasized that the Tamoung Clan is not only threatening the peace of the Naniik Clan and Bimbagu with bloodshed but the whole Mamprugu Kingdom. These are people (Tamoung Clan) known for their notoriety in fomenting and causing mayhem in the area. They appear to be the main source and cause of insecurity in the whole Bunkpurugu Nankpaduri and Yunyoo districts of the North East Region. Indeed, they have terrorized and fought with almost all Bimoba Clans and Konkombas over lands.

The Naniik people are law-abiding, tolerant, and peaceful but will safeguard its territories under the laws of Ghana and that of the Mamprugu Traditional Council in general.

It is preposterous that the Tamoung should be telling the world that the Naniik Chief and the Naniik people are their guests on the Naniik land. The Naniik have never in history been subject to Tamoung. Again, the land the Naniik is occupying presently was occupied as a virgin forest by Nyaan Konlan Kamuajuar, who was a hunter, and his kinsmen who he brought around with him.

The Tamoung clansmen, on the other hand, were and have always been where they are now living with the Konkombas. It should be noted that no Tamoung man was living with Naniik people in their enclave in the pre-1950s.

It must be stated categorically that the Tamoung youth do not know their history because it is unbelievable for them to say that Naniik enskin their chiefs over the land that belongs to their ancestors while the ancestors raised no objection to such an act. Since their ancestors and predecessors never challenged both the Nayiris and the Naniik Clansmen on the Naniik enskinning their chiefs on that land, it speaks for itself that the land did not and does not belong to Tamoung. Hence, the Tamoung clansmen should be told that they can never rewrite history to claim what never belongs to them in this modern era.

I am calling on the good people of the Naniik Clan, wherever they may be, to restrain themselves from any provocations by the disgruntled Tamoung clansmen.

Again, I entreat National Security to, as a matter of urgency, apprehend the leaders of the press conference who are nothing but troubleshooters because of their youthful exuberance and lack of knowledge of their history. Their threats are baseless and premised on ignorance of the history of their ancestry in relation to their position among other clans and tribes wherever they find themselves in the area. The Tamoung clansmen should accept the fact that in villages where they are chiefs or ruling class, those other clansmen and tribes respect them and accord them their status as such.

Hence, they should also learn to pay allegiance to other clans’ chiefs in whose land they find themselves, as in the instant case where they are refusing to recognize the right of the Naniik Naba and his people as owners of the Naniik land.

They are advised to accept the situation and learn to live with it so that peace and harmony will prevail. Development will flourish in Naniik for everybody, including themselves, who are settlers who moved into the area in the 1950s.

This will help them to develop peacefully alongside others.

Long Live The Naniik Clan

Long Live The Nayiri And Mamprugu Kingdom

Long Live Ghana

Thank you.

By: Lawyer Yakubu Mahama Dubik

Elder of the Naniik Clan, Naniik.