Regent of Diare, Abukari Abdulai handing over the Gbewa Palace keys to Alhaji Hamed Abubakar Yussif.
The Abudu Family led by the Regent of Diare, Abukari Abdulai, handed over the keys of the Gbewa Palace to the Yendi Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Alhaji Hamed Abubakar Yussif.
The Abudus were given access to the Gbewa Palace to perform the final funeral rites of the late Yaa-Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV, according to their customs and traditions.
It was agreed that after the funeral of the late Yaa-Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV, the Abudu’s would leave the Gbewa Palace peacefully.
The Boling-Lana Abdulai Mahamudu has been relocated to the Dugu House away from the reconstructed Old Gbewaa Palace.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Andani Royal Family, Yoo-Naa Abukari VII, and the Kampakuya-Naa, Yakubu Abdulai Andani, have indicated their readiness and preparedness to hold the funeral of the late Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II from 4th January, 2019.
This was after the Vo-Naa Mahamadu Bawa had conveyed the message on behalf of the Andani Royal Family to President Akufo-Addo on Thursday, 27th December, 2018, at Jubilee House – the seat of government.
He used the opportunity to thank the President for helping to ensure “a united Dagbon”. He invited the President to the final funeral rites of Yaa-Naa Yakubu scheduled for Thursday, 17th January, 2019.
Vo-Naa Mahamadu Bawa also urged government to continue to do all it can to bring the killers of Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II to justice in order to bring closure and finality to the matter.
President Akufo-Addo expressed his gratitude to the Head of the Andani Royal Family for the message, describing it as one “that everybody in Ghana will be very happy to hear today, and coming at the end of the year for those of us who are Christians, it can be described as a big Christmas present.”
The President was overjoyed that the process for the holding of the funerals of Naa Mahamadu Abdulai and Naa Yakubu Andani II was going on peacefully.
“You can never make peace without compromises, and I think in so far as those compromises have been made and where we are today, it is to the credit of the entire people of Dagbon and to you, the leaders, that you have heeded the advice for peace,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo continued: “I am particularly happy that, in my time as President of the Republic, these funerals can finally take place. . . ”
He assured the Andani Family that the events that led to the death of Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani can never go away, and gave the assurance that “whatever needs to be done to unearth the truth has to continue to be done. I am a firm subscriber to that point of view. Criminal conduct can never go away; there has to be accountability for it.”
FROM Eric Kombat, Yendi