Barely a week after a letter addressed to some personalities with the above caption was intercepted there was the need for deep reflection on the recent happenings in Bimbilla now. In fact we on our part. have come to terms with the fact that this is the only traditional kingdom left for us as Nanumbas and so shall we be accountable for it.
Unfortunately repercussions have tempted us to assert that indeed the good will of the kingdom is infested with what can be described as the foreign nuisance. The actions and inactions of this category of heartless people can be deemed nefarious and full of malice meant to destroy the kingdom to the detriment of the vulnerable such as students, women, investors, public sector employees’ non indigenes in the traditional area.
This brings to mind a letter dated 30th of October 2017 addressed to the Nanumba North District Security Council (DISEC) and copied to some government officials including Chairman of REGSEC, Minister for National Security, and Minister for Interior etc. We have finally decided not to border the minds of the good people of Ghana hence the pressing demand to set the record straight at least for the consumption of the key players including parties in the mediation process in the Bimbilla Chieftaincy dispute.
In their letter, they sought to make reference to the chieftaincy Act 2008(ACT 759).
One needs to simply understand that in 1992 the paramount chief in the person of Naa Abarika Atta was dragged to the Northern Regional House of Chiefs for honoring the late Naa salifu Dawuni with the skin title Nakpaa naa. The petitioners augment was that the skin of Nakpaa was reserved for sons and grandsons of Bimbilla Chiefs from the Gbugmayili gate who QUALIFY to ascend to the Bimbilla paramouncy. The respondent’s argument was that as the paramount chief and president of the traditional council he reserved the right to honor any individual member of the larger family who paid homage to him but that his decision was not a choice for his successor. The judicial committee held it so in favor of the respondent that as the paramount chief Naa Abarika Atta II had the right to give the Nakpa skin to anyone. Contrary to the accession the committee which was chaired by Yunyoo Rana Yemyia Toka never held that by their decision all Nakpaa naa including Salifu Dawuni could ascend to the Bimbilla Paramountcy. I challenge the family of Nakpaanaa to double check the rulings in 1992 which was only abandoned at the National House of Chief on appeal because the petitioners expired during the litigation period and upon appeal from well meaning Nanumbas including the then paramount chief to let sleeping dogs lie in view of the Northern conflict.
In 2003 after the final funeral of the late Naa Abarika (1983-1999) there came a malicious Traditional Council Judicial Committee (Guma committee). Guma was the registrar of the traditional council. The committee was chaired by the late Chambanaa Alhassan. The committee against the wise counsel of six out of the nine kingmakers and who are steep in the customs and traditions of Nanung held that it was the turn of Nakpanaa to ascend to the Bimbilla throne. And this was the genesis of the legal tussle.
- Naa Andani applied for a certiorari to the High court Tamale to quash the decision of the GUMA committee which was granted and on the 26th January 2004 (THE REPUBLIC VRS THE REGISTRAR OF NANUMBA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL-EX-PARTE ANDANI DASANA) the decision of the committee was set aside because the committee of the Nanung traditional council like any other traditional council lacks the jurisdiction to adjudicate on the case of a Paramountcy including that of Bimbilla
- Nakpaa naa upon the certiorari appealed the ruling of the Tamale high court which was in favor of the overlord Naa Andani Dasana Abdullai and for that matter the Kingmakers at the supreme court. (THE REPUBLIC VRS TAMALE HIGH COURT-EX PARTE: JOU REGENT OSUMAN MAHAMA). The Supreme Court On the 29th June 2004 struck out the case against the overlord Naa Andani upon application by the petitioners for withdrawal and a cost of Ten Million Old Cedis was awarded against the petitioners. The money has since not been paid
- Nakpaa naa next point of call was the palace of Nayiri for arbitration. The Nayiri Naa Bohugu Mahami Sheriga (paramount chief of Mamprugu) also on 18th April 2005 with case title (SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTE CONCERNING SUCCESSION TO BIMBILLA NAA OF BIMBILLA) determined the case against the petitioners. He held that per the customs and traditions of the Mole Dagbani ethnic group one could only become Bimbilla naa only if you are son or direct grandson and not a great grandson like Salifu Dawuni.
- Nakpaanaa swiftly at the Northern Regional House of chief, instituted an action with the title (BIMBILLA NAA SALIFU DAWUNI, JOU REGENT OSUMAN MAHAMA-petitioners) VRS (ANDANI DASANA, AZUMA NANTOGMA-(respondents) in 2005. The Judicial committee comprising of Bolewura Amakwa Seiduhe Kabaseke (paramount chief of Bole, Gonja land) Mumuni Wasipewura Anyame Kabasagya Yakubu (Chief of Wasipe,Gonja land) , Yunyoo Rana Yemyia Tooka (chairman of committee and paramount chief of Yunyoo Mamprugu lands) and assisted by a state attorney (Solom K.Atadze) .The committee after adjudicating on the mater the parties having called the relevant and necessary witnesses in the matter finally came out with its verdict 3-0 in favor of the respondent( Naa Andani Dasana) on 13th march 2012. The Committee held that Naa Andani Dasana Abdullai was rightfully chosen and validly enskined as Bimbilla Naa by the kingmakers.
- Nakpaa naa aggrieved by the judgment of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs appealed to National House of Chiefs. 1 BIMBILLA NAA SALIFU DAWUNI-(substituted by Sagnarigu lana Saani Azuma)
- JOU REGENT OSUMAN MAHAMA, (petitioners)
VRS
- ANDANI DASANA substituted by ( Nyelinbolgu Naa Yakubu Andani.)
- AZUMA NANTOGMA (respondents)
Whiles the case was pending at the National House of Chiefs the 1st petitioner (Nakpa naa died on the 5th of March 2014. His death caused a lot for Nanung and Ghana at large as it was met with severe protest .The family of the Naa Andani protested the burial of Nakpana in Bimbilla because after losing all the court cases his family argued burying him as Bimbilla Naa which according to them was the only consolation for their contest.
Whilst struggling for the burial some assailants highly suspected to be the sympathizers and supporters of Nakpana executed the Bimbilla Naa Andani Dasana Abdullai on the 19th June 2014 when he was observing his evening prayers. Even with that the judgment of the National House of Chief still came 5-0 in favor of the respondent (Naa Andani Abdullai) on the 24th November 2014
Members of the committee include.
Nana Soglo Alloh IV -Chairman
Nana Bofo Bene IV
Nana Sohiminye Danaa Gore II
Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI
Osabarima Kwesi Atta II
Edward Agyeman Duodu ESQ -Counsel
SOME IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE ON BIMBILLA CHIEFTAINCY
- The murder incident happened whiles security were at post during the reign of NDC
- The government of Republic of Ghana is yet to arrest and prosecute the suspects associated with the murder of the Bimbilla Naa.
- Upon all this the Family saboteurs still drag Ghanaians to believe that we were favored by the government under whose reign we lost such an industrious and illustrious son.
4.What is still baffling most Ghanaians is that if the family of Nakpaa naa after losing all the cases and after executing the Bimbilla naa demands consolation from government what should we the family of the late murdered Bimbilla naa be demanding?
5.Whilst the case is still pending at the Supreme Court the family of Nakpaa naa were at the Tamale High Court challenging the legitimacy of the Regent, His royal highness Nyelinboligu naa Yakubu Andani from performing traditional activities and acting as the president of the Nanumba Traditional council. In February 2017 the verdict went again in favor of the regent Nyelinbolgu naa Yakubu Andani (Son of the Murdered Bimbillanaa) (THE REPUBLIC VRS NYELINBOLGU NAA YAKUBU ANDANI AND EIGHT OTHERS)
REFERENCE TO THE LETTER ADDRESSED TO REGSEC
- With the above background let me now take the good people of Ghana to the Chieftaincy Act 2008 (ACT 759) Reference to the anonymous letter by the family of Nakpaa naa.
1.We want to state that per SEC 34 of the Chieftaincy Act the determination of the Bimbilla case at the National House of Chief in favor of the late Naa Andani Dasana Holds until when the appeal at the Supreme Court is determined otherwise.
- Gazetting of chiefs is an administrative and ceremonial function per the constitution and does not confer kingship or chiefship title on anybody and therefore not a traditional obligation. In any case if you hadn’t killed the overlord he would have been gazetted per the rulings in his favor including the National House Of Chiefs. In Ghana only chiefs are gazetted. Regents are only sworn in as was done to Naa Andani Dasana Abdulai’s Regent in 2015 by the Northern Regional House of Chiefs. This important function was graced by all members of the house contrary to your lies that the same house of chiefs wrote through your solicitors that Nanung was not in their register when the same secretariat assigned a full time registrar of a traditional council to serve his Royal Highness Nyelinbolgu naa Yakubu Andani Dasana(regent of Bimbilla)
- With your desire to perform traditional activities you can always do so at Nakpaa as it is but not in Bimbilla. Doing so in Bimbilla will be scandalous to some government officials who maliciously deceived the presidency in the name of the remains of Nakpaa naa decomposing and who in turn were commended for the support to bury Nakpanaa in Bimbilla without the consent and participation of the traditional authority.
- Insha Allah some selected well meaning individuals would be given special invitations to join us celebrate this year’s Damba festival and we would like friends, love ones and Nanumbas in the diaspora to come and support showcase the beauty of our culture to the world. Praying government to stop us and daring government to allow you also perform such activities will simply mean parallel authority which is a recipe for mayhem
It’s high time we appreciated that we are ridiculed in the eyes of the wider spectrum of society as violence loving ethnic group .This isn’t good for societal progress. All funds allocated for developmental projects in the traditional area is wasted on security issues at the expense of the vulnerable. Almighty Allah(SWT) the ALL-SEER, ALL-KNOWER AND ALL-HEARER sees and knows all the merchants of death in Nanung. Judgment in the Hereafter awaits these callous and blood tasty people who have killed so many innocent people that only Allah alone knows their exact number now.
Signed
OSMAN TAHIDU KIKAA
Spokesperson
(Bimbilla Regent)