THE NALERIGU DISTRICT COURT, presided over by His Worship Abdul-baki Abdulai, has convicted two feuding traditional chiefs, for their involvement in chieftaincy clashes, leading to communal violence at Jopal in the Chereponi District of the North East Region.
One Jilijili Jabab, 39, died while another, Bokoa Boyiwor, received gunshot wounds. The chiefs convicted were named as Nanyab Bilemlem, 64, member of the ‘late settlers’ and Yekum Buyork, 75, member of the ‘earlier settlers’, respectively.
Both were arrested by the police, contrary to Section 1 sub-sections 1, 2 & 3 of the Public Order Act 1994, Act 491. They pleaded guilty to the charges, and were convicted on their own plea, and sentenced to a term of three months each, without hard labour.
Disah Pemba, Chief of Tambong and Feme Nayeme Kofi Malba, Paramount Chief of Chereponi, were also summoned to appear before the court to answer charges linked to the enskinment of two rival chiefs for Jopal.
The court ordered two chiefs to appear in person on the next hearing date scheduled for April 8, 2021.
11 AA live ammunitions were retrieved by security personnel, from the pocket of the deceased, Jilijili Jabab, 39, whose bullet-riddled body was found in a pool of blood under a tree, when security personnel visited the community.
According to the North East Regional Police Crime Officer, Supt. Reuben Yao Dugah, the ‘late settlers’ had earlier sought the accord of Dassah Pieneba, a sub-chief of the Chereponi traditional area, to support Nanyab Bilemlem, while the ‘early settlers’ rather counted on the support of the Chereponi, Feme Nanyeme Kofi Malba for one Yekum Buyork, to be enskinned as chief of Jopal.
Tension escalated and in the interest of security concerns the DISEC had to intervene to halt any enskinment.
Supt Dugah said that very late in the evening of the same day, the paramount chief of Chereponi reneged on his earlier assurances to the DISEC, by offering kola nuts in recognition of the authority of Yekum Buyork, as chief of Jopal, plunging the entire community into violence.
This led to the communal violence that ensued.
FROM Eric Kombat, NaleriguÂ