Four years after the Hohoe riot, President John Dramani Mahama yesterday announced that plans had been put in place to compensate persons affected.
The 2012 riots erupted between the indigenes of the Gbi Traditional Area in the Hohoe municipality and the Zongo community.
He made the announcement when he was speaking with the chiefs and people of the area as part of his six-day campaign tour of the Volta Region.
The president, however, refused to mention the amount or the kind of compensation to be given, the number of people to benefit from it and the exact time it will be given.
The announcement, which came as a surprise to many, indicated that a process had begun to identify the right beneficiaries.
It’s been four years since the clashes occurred and the issue of compensation had never been mentioned by the government or the local assembly until now that the president is seeking re-election.
Some residents who expressed surprise at the gesture noted that it was mere political talk.
One of them, Elolo Amega said, “After neglecting us for all these years you are now here to give us compensation because you want our votes.”
In June, 2012 a misunderstanding between the youth from Hohoe-Zongo and indigenes from the Gbi Traditional Area led to a riot which left two people dead, hundreds injured and over 6,000 displaced.
The clashes began after some Muslim youth from the Zongo community reportedly attacked some nurses and later vandalised some items at the Hohoe Hospital in retaliation of what they claimed was the refusal of the hospital authorities to release the body of an electrocuted relative.
The attack angered the paramount chief, Togbe Gabusu and the Gbi Traditional Council, which then announced a ban on the burial of persons from the Zongo community.
About a day after the ban, the Chief Imam in the Zongo died and was buried without delay in accordance with Islamic tradition.
Unfortunately, his body was exhumed the following morning and placed by the road side.
The Zongo youth, suspecting the Hohoe indigenes of the act, went on rampage and attacked the Gbi Traditional Council, vandalized shops of the indigenes and the palace of Togbe Gabusu. They ransacked the rooms and burnt items they found.
They also burnt two vehicles and reportedly took away royal regalia. This led to a reprisal attack by the indigenes who in turn attacked shops and homes of the Zongo residents.
A ten-member committee chaired by Justice Patrick Baayeh, a high court judge, was constituted in October 2012 to among other things, investigate the cause of the violence and make recommendations accordingly.
The committee, after taking evidences from 132 persons over a period of 33 days, presented its report to the government in February 2013.
The government rehabilitated the palace of Togbe Gabusu after several complaints and agitations by the indigenes.
Since then nothing has been heard from the government concerning the incident until yesterday when the president was campaigning for re-election.
With less than 58 days to elections, many have described the announcement as cosmetic and a vote buying strategy.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (freduoo@gmail.com)