A section of traditional leaders during >>>See page 6 the press briefing
Traditional leaders of Sampa Traditional Area in the Bono Region have called on President John Mahama to help restore peace in the area following recent chieftaincy crisis.
At a press briefing held in Accra, the traditional leaders stated that the dispute in that part of the country is gradually escalating beyond their control.
“What is happening in Sampa is not a mere traditional disagreement. It is a crisis that is festering, escalating, and threatening to spiral beyond control. The tension is real. The pain is real,” the traditional leaders said in a statement signed by Nana Kwadwo Magsah, Kokoahene and Adontehene of Sampa Traditional Council, and Nana Abu Srigbo, Abusuapanin of the Afia Takyiawaa Royal family.
The traditional leaders stated that for nearly 20 years, succession to the paramount stool was subject to lawful mediation which moved from family deliberations to the traditional council and ultimately to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who is the overlord of the Sampa stool, with both the Sammor Duah family and the Afia Takyiwaa family voluntarily under his authority.
They added that the Afia Takyiwaa family was then granted the right to nominate a chief and Nana Samgba Gyaflaa II was nominated and accepted, and was going through the process to be gazzetted. They however noted that before the gazette, another faction issued public threats, with some members of the Afia Takyiwaa family being killed and properties destroyed.
“Recently, despite lacking lawful authority, the same faction announced their intention to conduct funeral rites for the late paramount chief and queen mother. The Ghana Police Service, recognising the volatility of the situation, sought and obtained a court injunction to prevent further escalation. That injunction was ignored,” they noted.
The traditional leaders stated that illegalities appear protected through the action and inactions of prominent leaders in the area, questioning the integrity of the security agencies.
They further stated that despite the court injunction, there is still active sale of Sampa lands, which the traditional authority is not in support of, stressing that land is an inheritance for the unborn generation.
“The situation is worsening. There are now active attempts to sell Sampa lands despite a standing court injunction. Land in Sampa is not just soil. It is identity. It is inheritance. It is the future of unborn generations. Unauthorised land sales under unlawful authority risk planting the seeds of a conflict that may outlive all of us,” the traditional leaders added.
They stated that the principle of the government using gazetted chiefs in resolving the Bawku conflict should be applied in Sampa by President Mahama.
“We listened carefully when the President stated, in relation to Bawku, that government works only with gazetted chiefs. That statement gave us hope. We respectfully and passionately ask: let that principle live in Sampa as well. The law must not bend depending on geography or influence. It must stand firm everywhere,” they stated, adding that Sampa is on the verge of becoming a conflict zone like Bawku.
The traditional leaders therefore reiterated their call for the President to enforce court orders and protect gazetted chiefs, to restore calm in the area.
“We call for thorough investigation and prosecution of acts of violence and arson. We call for an immediate halt to unauthorised land sales. Above all, we call for justice; swift, visible, and uncompromising,” they added.
By Florence Asamoah Adom