Tamale Chief orders manhunt for naked street rider

A young man seen in a viral video roaming the streets of Tamale on a motorbike without his clothes on has drawn outrage from dozens of viewers online and has caught the attention of traditional authorities of the city.

The chief of Tamale, Naa Alhassan Dawuni has reportedly been intensely boiling in anger after the daring incident on Saturday afternoon was shown to him by palace elders after they watched it on mobile phones.

The chief has ordered a relentless manhunt for the teenager who has fled from the city after his parents who he summoned on Sunday failed to disclose his whereabouts.

In the video, the young man is spotted speeding down the Nyohani road towards the Abedi Pele roundabout completely unclothed, while another person sitting in a private vehicle, is seen filming the movement on phone.

The viral video was too short that viewers could not figure out the direction the actors headed but many who watched the entire clip said the naked rider stopped over and bought a meal at ‘Fatawu Bicycle’, a popular eatery in town.

Reports say the person in the car filming the incident made a bet with the motorbike asking anyone who could strip off his clothes and ride on the streets to keep the bike. Some say the prize of the bet was GH¢50 which the young man agreed and took the challenge and audaciously sped around the busiest streets in the metropolis appearing all naked.

However, other viewers read spiritual meaning to the drama suggesting it was for money rituals.

The secretary of the chief, Sabaha naa Abass Salifu said the father of the man claimed his son was under spiritual attack explaining he has been taken to Mankarigu in the North Gonja district to see a native doctor.

According to the secretary, the chief angrily rejected that explanation and ordered him to bring the young man to his palace within a week or face direct consequences for his son’s act.

He said the teenager when arrested would be used as “scapegoat” to deter others from indulging in acts that violate accepted standards of behaviour.

The display has been described by many in strongest of terms and while some suggest corporal punishment others actually want the chief to subject the teenager to severe caning before banishing him from the city.

Sabaha Naa also said if what happened was a plot by homosexuals to taste the reaction of northerners then the punishment that awaits the teenager would shock the entire human rights community and any attempt to muzzle or restrict his authority by these bodies will be fiercely resisted.

“Our boys went to the house two, three times today just to catch the boy and bring him but we didn’t get him. We want to send a signal to them, and if the issue of gayism or whatever, people are testing our pulse here, we will send a very loud and clear signal that No, at all. Maybe these are some of the things that they could push for us to see what the reaction of Tamale people will be.

“But the chief of Tamale is saying that he would send a signal to everybody. When we get him, you people will be invited to the place. We are going to do it in a public glare for others to see and know that tradition still exists here, irrespective of what the so-called human rights people will say”, Alhaji Abass fumed.