Why Thursday’s Mayhem At Bimbilla Happened

A security delegation led by the Northern Regional Coordinating Director, Alhaji Issahaku Alhassan on Saturday visited Bimbilla in the Nanumba North District capital to assess the security situation in the area following last Thursday’s exchange of gunfire between the two feuding factions that resulted in the death of ten people.

Other members of the delegation were the outgoing Northern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mr Ken Yeboah, the General Officer Commanding the Northern Command, Brigadier General Stanley Alloh, the Tamale Air Force Base Commander, Group Captain Frank Hanson, and the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mr Ebenezer Tetteh.

The visit followed the renewed chieftaincy conflict in the area on Thursday, February 9, 2017, which claimed 10 lives with several others injured.

According to the police, Thursday’s clashes followed a disagreement between the two feuding factions over the enskinment of a sub-chief by Yelinbolingu-Naa Abdulai Dasana, the regent of Bimbilla.

The action by the regent, according to the police, was contrary to an advice by the Bimbilla District Security Committee (DISEC) and that DISEC had earlier advised the regent not to go ahead with the enskinment.

Speaking to journalists after a closed door meeting with the DISEC in Bimbilla, the Northern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ken Yeboah said the visit was to assess the security situation in the town.

Touching on the conflict, he said, the Bimbilla Traditional Council wrote a letter dated February 2, 2017 to the DISEC that it was going to have an enskinment ceremony on Thursday, February 9, 2017.

The DISEC met on February 7, 2017 and resolved that they were going to allow the ceremony, however after engaging the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) on the matter, the DISEC was advised to tell the regent to hold on with the ceremony since the security situation according to intelligence, could re-ignite the conflict in the area.

Mr Yebeoh said the DISEC met the regent and impressed on him not to go ahead with the ceremony but he refused and explained the traditional council had already made preparation towards the ceremony and could not suspend it.

According to him, the regent further said he did not see the reason why he should not perform his legal duties and rather suggested to the DISEC to rather engage those who were against the enskinment ceremony.

Mr Yeboah said the DISEC members left the regent’s palace around 3am on Thursday, February 9, 2017 since the regent’s letter stated that the ceremony would be done at 3pm and later picked information that the enskinment ceremony had been done at 12pm contrary to the 3pm planned time.

Soon after the exercise, gunshots were heard in many parts of the town.

He said the gun battle took about five hours before the security personnel in the town were able to bring the situation under control.

Mr Yeboah said the violent conflict led to the death of 10 people, mostly women and children and added that the bodies of the deceased persons had been released to their respective families for burial.

By: Graphic.com.gh