Mamprugu youth takes to the street to protest on 66th Independence Day celebration

Correspondence from North East Region

Youth groups across Mamprugu have cautioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to stop meddling in Chieftaincy matters and rescind the arrest warrant against the newly enskinned Bawku Naaba, Alhaji Seidu Abagre (Naa Sherigah) who was enskinned by the King and Overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sherigah II on the 15th of February 2023.

The youth who were part of the 66th independence day celebration protested that there will not be peace in Bawku if the president does not respect and accept the decision of the Nayiri for exercising his traditional authority on the Bawku skin.

They registered their displeasure at the 66th independence day celebration in Nalerigu, Gambaga, and Walewale after they had petitioned the Nayiri to boycott the celebration in the Mamprugu Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Nayiri after receiving the petition pleaded with the youth in the Mamprugu Kingdom not to boycott the independence day celebration, indicating that he is not fighting anyone regarding the Bawku skin but anyone who wants to fight him because of the enskinment of the Alhaji Seidu Abagre as the 15th Bawku, he will fight the person back.

The protesters holding placards with several inscriptions are cautioning Nana Addo to be president of the entire country and stop supporting the Kusasis who have no chieftaincy lineage to the Bawku skin.

Expressing their anger in the protest, the youth stated that the posture of the president in the Bawku chieftaincy issue cannot intimidate them and so he should stop meddling in it.

"We just want to communicate to the president and all those that matter. We are only patient because our King has said we should be."

"We just want the government to know that the character he is putting up, we are not afraid of it, after all, we are all going to die. But what we want, we want the truth to prevail, he shouldn't mingle in our chieftaincy issues."

"Government has no hand in that and government cannot enskin a chief. Before you become a chief, you must come from the royal family," one of the group members Bugri Gabriel said.

Another person, Seidu Abu Damba Fatau also told GhanaWeb that "Any chief that is appointed by a government, that chief should be an assemblyman or a Zongo chief. A chief must be enskinned by the Overlord. A president has the right to appoint a DCE or a regional minister and not a chief," he said.

"Whilst he [president] cannot issue a warrant to go and arrest somebody like Asantehene, he shouldn't dare try to venture into the issues of Mamprugu.

"If he [president] didn't rescind the decision to arrest the newly enskinned chief who we know to be the legitimate 15th chief for Bawku, then, we will advise ourselves," Wahab Jammah said.

The youth groups across the Mamprugu Kingdom said they will never relent in their effort until the president rescinds his decision to arrest Alhaji Seidu Abagre (Naa Sherigah) who was legally enskinned by the Overlord, Naa Bohugu Mahami Abdulai Sherigah II.