Late Naa Andani Dassana Abdulai II
Family of the murdered paramount chief of the Bimbilla Traditional Area, Naa Andani Dassana Abdulai II, claim the assailants who perpetrated the heinous crime were donned in full police regalia when they stormed the palace late Thursday evening.
According to them, though the uniformed police numbering about five were without name tags and service numbers, they managed to gain access to the paramount chief.
Dasana Salifu Wumbei, spokesperson of the family, disclosed that the gun-wielding cops arrived at the house in the company of a certain Issah Buga moments after the police on guard had left the palace.
The palace maidens, according to Mr Wumbei, without hesitation, directed them to the chief who had concluded his evening Islamic prayers and was relaxing at his lobby reciting verses of the Holy Quran.
Moments later some gunshots were heard from where the chief was seated and indiscriminate shooting ensued, resulting in the death of Abdul Mumin Alhassan and Issah Ziblim, both aides of the murdered chief.
The gun-wielding assailants fled the palace immediately as a different group raided the palace of the Kpatihi, a sub-chief, shooting and injuring two other persons currently receiving treatment at the Bimbilla Government Hospital.
The spokesperson therefore said the police are culpable for the death of his father, accusing the police and army commanders in Bimbila of negligence and unconditionally demanding their removal as security heads in the area.
‘What happened in Bimbila is an open secret: District Security Committee (DISEC) is aware because there were enough early warning signals for DISEC to have acted on, but they deliberately refused for reasons best known to them,’ he remarked.
Family of the late Naa Dasana Abdulai Andani II, is however demanding the mortal remains of the deceased for burial in accordance with best customary practices of Nanum.
It equally charged government to immediately institute an investigation into the murder of the late paramount chief if it is determined to ensure that peace prevails in Nanum.
Mr Wumbei condemned utterances of the District Chief Executive (DCE) and Chairman of DISEC, Alhaji Ibn Abass, claiming the chief died as a result of clashes between two feuding factions who had been at loggerheads concerning legitimacy to the Bimbila skins.
The family described the DCE’s alleged comment as inaccurate, baseless, malicious and window dressing just to save his job, noting that such comments are detrimental to the fragile peace in the area.
10 Suspects
Meanwhile, police sources have said that 10 suspects have so far been arrested in connection with the murder of the Overlord of Nanumba Traditional Area, Naa Andani II. They declined to give the identities of the suspects, but said they were expecting to arrest few more.
It would be recalled that the Paramount Chief of the Bimbilla Traditional Area in the Nanumba North District of the Northern Region, Naa Andani Dassana Abdulai II, and three of his subjects were last Thursday gruesomely murdered by some unidentified gunmen at his palace.
Abdul Mumin Alhassan, an aide to the murdered chief; Issah Ziblim, a kingmaker and final year student of the Islamic University College as well as two other persons, whose identities police are reluctant to make public, were all killed.
The latest skirmishes in the area are linked to the long standing feud between the two royal gates over the rightful heir to the Bimbilla skin.
This feud has been raging on for over two decades now following a split between the royal gates who severally dragged each other to court.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Northern Regional House of Chiefs for adjudication and in March 2012 the Regional House of Chiefs at its sitting declared Naa Andani Abdulai II as the legitimate chief of the Nanumba Traditional Area; a verdict which the other contestant opposed.
From Stephen Zoure, Tamale
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