Curfew Imposed On Bimbila After Chieftaincy Clash Claims Life

A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed on Bimbilla in the Northern Region, following renewed chieftaincy disturbances that claimed a life last Thursday evening. The curfew starts from 6 pm and ends at 6 am.

The Bimbilla North District Security Committee (DISEC) arrived at the decision on Thursday to prevent further disturbances in the area, which has witnessed chieftaincy disturbances over the years.

The body of the deceased, Alidu Sule, 35, has been sent to the Bimbilla Hospital morgue.

Arrests/Weapons

Fifteen people have so far been apprehended for their various roles in the latest conflict. According to the Northern Regional Police Crime Officer, Alhaji Mahama Arhin, the suspects would be brought to Tamale to assist investigations.

Ammunition, including an AK 47, 11 empty shells, 15 live cartridges, a gun and a pistol, was retrieved from the scene of the disturbances.

“At the moment, calm has returned to the area following the beefing up of security forces,” Alhaji Arhin said.

He explained that the shooting was triggered by a disagreement over a dispute to allow the body of late Napka Na Salifu Dawuni to be interred at the royal mausoleum in Bimbilla.

That, according to Alhaji Arhin, was because the deceased, who died at the Tamale Teaching Hospital last Wednesday, was never recognised by the Andani faction as the paramount chief for the area.

He said the disagreement later resulted in sporadic shooting between loyalists of the Nakpa-Na and the Andanis, which lasted about an hour and resulted in the death of the 35-year-old man.

At the time of filing the report, members of the Northern Regional Security Committee (REGSEC) were said to be meeting in Tamale.

The protracted chieftaincy dispute in the Nanung Traditional Area became more pronounced after the demise and performance of the final funeral rites of a former paramount chief for the area, Na Abarika, in 2003.

Judicial Committee’s decision

The Judicial Committee of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs declared Na Andani Dasana as the substantive paramount chief for the Bimbilla Traditional Area in a unanimous decision in March, 2012.

The three-member committee was chaired by the Yunyoo Rana, Yamyia Tooka II. However, the deceased and Napka-Na’s faction appealed against the ruling at the National House of Chiefs, which is yet to come out with its verdict.