After the recent clash in Bolgatanga on Saturday night, following a longstanding chieftaincy dispute between two royal families which left some houses burnt to ashes and properties destroyed, some concerned youth in the Municipality have called on the Regional Security Council to as a matter of emergency intensity the level of security in the area.
The youth also want protection for the royal families at the center of the dispute. It will be recalled that the recent clash left over a dozen of people with varied degrees of injuries which they sustained from gunshots, machetes and other offensive weapons as they attempted to flee for safety. The injured were admitted at the Upper East Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga for treatment. Though some have been treated and discharged; others are still on admission at the same hospital.
Find below the press release by Concerned Youth of Bolgatanga Municipality
PRESS RELEASE
The Youth Network for Societal Transformation (YNEST) in collaboration with the Youth in Advocacy for Good Governance (JAGG) and other well Civil Youth Organization and Movements strongly condemn the incidence that took place in Bolgatanga Central (Atulbabisi) on Saturday 26th September at about 8pm GMT.
We would like to call on the chairman of the Regional Security Council land the Bolgatanga District Security Council to as a matter of emergency double the level of security in the area and maximum protecting given to Royal families especially persons of major consent in the above matter.
We are also aware of the pending matter before the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, which with our observation is even straggling to see the light of day. We would like to take this time by applying to the Minister for Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, the National and Regional Presidents of the House of Chiefs to put a serious look into the matter before them and work through time, day and night to came to a conclusion on the subject matter, since the delay of this process hinders the justice and peace of the people. Hence poses a threat to the development of the Region.
We are also calling on the Fourth Estate (or fourth power); that is the Ghanaian media, to play its part of professional journalism and due diligence to the subject matter which has held the Region to ransom. We want a fair and clean reportage in the matter and would also like the decision by some media houses not to fully engage in the Bolga Skin Affairs to be relooked at, since it has done more harm than the good it was intended for. We pray that we would see, hear and be well informed on the Bolga Skin Affairs by our able media, whose reportage we hold in high esteem.
We would want to call on all fame seekers who have found their way into the said matter(Bolga Skin Affairs), be it political leadership, civil or public servants, lawyers and justices as well as some Chief, to immediately put a stop to it for their course has done and would do us no good.
We would not want to see another community in the Region see a setback in development, as we have still not been able to come out of the developmental set back in nearby community Bawku.
Let us remember Late Professor Mill who once said “the only purpose of becoming a leader is to make life better for his followers and if, I Professor Mill becomes a leader through violent means whom am I going to make life better for because they are dead”. In this regards we know becoming a chief of a community is to improve upon the lives of the people in your community, if our people are killed before someone becomes a chief, who is he going to lead in order to make life better for.
Is he going to lead stones? Is he going to lead tress? Or is he going to lead dead bodies? Yesterday’s chieftaincy disturbance was a source of worry to many of us the youth since this could compromise the peace we are currently enjoying. Let us remember that Bolga is the capital of the whole region and anything which destabilizes its peace would indirectly affect the whole region. We are therefore calling upon both factions as youth groups to exercise patience and allow the laid down traditional rules to be followed in order to resolve the matter. We also know very well that those involved in the chieftaincy matter would not condone and connive with any youth group of persons to foment trouble in the Municipality for we know they are peace loving people. We humbly call on them to disregard and disassociate themselves from any group of persons who uses their names to cause trouble. By this way we would all be enjoying the peace in the Municipality.
We the youth of Bolgatanga are interested in waking up to see a more United Bolga, working towards its development and not a community divided, not by its own people but buy people who them self-do not know the implication of the cracks they are creating.
We would want to call on his Excellency the President of the Republic to take time and find interest in the said matter and give it the rapped response it needs
Sign this day September 27th 2015
Signed
Youth Network for Societal Transformation (YNEST)
Asima K. Christopher (President)
Youth in Advocacy for Good Governance (JAGG)
A Victor (President)
By: Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen| A1RADIOONLINE.COM | GHANA
