The Dagbon Youth Association (DAYA) have said the continuous stay of the Minister for Defense, Hon Dominic Nitiwul, is the biggest threat to the existing peace in the northern region. Therefore, the youth have called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reshuffle him as a matter of urgency.  

The group believes the presence of Mr. Nitiwul who is also the Member of Parliament for the Bimbila constituency in the northern region at the Defense Ministry is allegedly emboldening some faceless and unscrupulous members of the Konkomba community to create security problems which is threatening the peaceful atmosphere in the region.

Reacting to a recent widely circulated video on social media that has heightened tension among the inhabitants of the northern region, purportedly coming from a middle age man who is reportedly a Konkomba-Basari Chief at Tema, President of the Dagbon Youth Association, Mr. Adam Baba Issifu, at a news conference on Monday, July 3, said the development was disturbing to the peace and development of the area.

He said the Dagbon kingdom is poised for accelerated economic and social growth, and no one can stand in the way, adding “all that we do as the youth in Dagbon is to help stakeholders and duty bearers create a conducive environment to attract investors to our area.”

However, the DAYA President called for the immediate arrest of the Konkomba-Basari Chief who they identified as Magal Kuunboln as well as other anonymous and faceless individuals engaged in the social media onslaught.

He noted there has been series of such unrestrained provocative language used on social media to allegedly attack Dagbamba and that, “There are even recent threats and throwing of open challenges to Dagbamba to dare they the Konkombas.”

“We have been silent over the years not because Komkomba youth have the monopoly on spewing treacherous comments, but because we think we owe it a duty to safeguard the peace and security in Dagbon and the country at large” he said.

The DAYA President accused the Defense Minister of failing to call his kinsmen to order after he distanced himself from such actions and promised the Ya Naa that the perpetrators were going to be arrested for beating ward drums.   

“…Hon. Nitiwul is a Konkomba opinion leader in every sense and knows what goes on among them. It is by no coincidence that after his denial at the Gbewaa Palace, the publications petered out only to resurface, this time with known faces on social and traditional media, with impunity” he stated.

Baba Issifu also wondered whether the state security apparatus has become so lame and adamant about these developments or it has become so impossible for them to fish out the perpetrators behind those faceless social media handles and anonymous letters in circulation.

He maintained the persistent peace threatening utterances are encouraged by the fact that none of the previous perpetrators have been punished.