A legal practitioner and the Mamprusi representative on the Bawku Interethnic Peace Committee has said government’s rejection of the enskinment of the new Naba is a ploy to create an issue that does not exist in Bawku.
According to Mohammed Tahiru Nambe, the enskinment by the overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional area, Naa Bohugu Mahami Abdulai Sherigah II, was in accordance with the Mamprugu customs and traditions.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, he said, “the constitution of Ghana per Article 19.5 indicates that: nobody should be arrested for a law that does not exist (paraphrased). Let’s contextualise this, what the Nayiri did the other time, what was unconstitutional about it? What is criminal about it?
“It is rather the state…let me put it bluntly, that is going to create problems that do not exist,” he said.
He contended that the incident that occurred on February 15, was not illegal as it had been described by government.
During the early hours of Wednesday, February 15, the overlord of the Mamprugu traditional area, Naa Bohugu Mahami Abdulai Sherigah II, enskinned a new Chief for Bawku, as an attempt to restore order in Bawku since a lot of conflicts have erupted in the area since late January.
But government upon hearing this incident issued a statement that publically rejected the enskinment of the new Chief and deemed the action as illegal and a threat to national security.
In the statement issued by the Information Ministry on February 15, it was disclosed that directives had been given to security personnel to arrest and prosecute anyone posing as a Bawku Naba other than the legally recognised Chief.
Some MPs from the Kusaug traditional territory also condemned the actions of the overlord of the Mamprugu traditional area and reiterated that the only recognised chief at the moment was Naba Asigiri Abugrago Azoka II.
But Mr Nambe is also questioning what charges would be brought against the Bawku Naba should he be arrested in accordance with the government’s instruction, considering that the enstoolment did not violate any national laws.
He told the host, Samson Lardy Anyenini, “We are prepared to meet anybody in the courtroom. We will not say that we will take the law into our own hands. No!
“We will meet everybody in the courtroom and exhilarate our client that he did not do anything untoward as far as the laws of the country are concerned.”
