Parliament of Ghana
MEMBERS OF Parliament from Dagbon state in the Northern region yesterday described an Accra Fast Truck High Court ruling on the murder of Ya-Na as jaundiced and called on people of Dagbon to remain calm as government seeks justice for affected persons.
“The people of Dagbon must be guided by history in respect of the very subject of Dagbon.
The people of Dagbon should not throw their hands in despair. It may be recalled that in 1986, a similar jaundiced judgment was later reversed in favour of the just by the Supreme Court,” the Dagbon MPs stated at an impromptu news conference at Parliament House yesterday.
The Fast Truck High Court, on submission of no case in respect of 14 members of the Abudu family accused of murdering the overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, in 2002, acquitted and discharged all the accused persons.
Consequently, the ruling resulted in spontaneous reactions, leading to violence in Dagbon and other communities around the country including burning of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party offices in Tamale and Agbogloshie in Accra.
Addressing journalists, Alhaji Abukari Sumani, leader of Northern Parliamentary Caucus and MP for Tamale North, said the reaction of the people, who were mostly sympathisers of the governing NDC, was informed largely by the fact that Andanis felt justifiably betrayed that the ends of justice had not been served.
“As legitimate and justified that this may be, as the death still remains a mystery and the perpetrators remain unidentified and unpunished, we the Members of Parliament from the Dagbon wish to call for calm and restraint as we urge government to take urgent measures to ensure that the people of Dagbon get justice over the murder of the Ya-Na and his elders,” Alhaji Sumani stated.
The NDC youth, the Dagbon MPs pointed out, “should note that the gruesome murder of the Ya-Na happened under the watch of the NPP government. Therefore, we urge them to exercise circumspection in what we consider to be a jolt in a long road towards the search for justice”.
According to them, “Nothing short of justice will be acceptable to the people of Dagbon and we their representatives.”
Alhaji Sumani said, “Whatever it will take government to unravel this mystery and punish the perpetrators should engage the attention of government as a matter of priority and with the utmost urgency.”
The MPs, who signed the press statement included Haruna Idrissu, MP for Tamale South; Thomas Kwesi Nassan, Gushegu; Imoro Yakubu Kakpagu, Kumbungu; Sulemana Ibnu Iddrissu, Yendi; Dr Alhassan Ahmed Yakubu, Mion; Hajia Mary Salifu Boforo, Savelugu; Abdul-Rasak A. Umar, Tolon; Alhaji Abukari Sumani; Tamale North; Idrissu Dawuda, Karaga and Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, MP for Asawase.
By Awudu Mahama
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