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Armed Forces Enforce Otumfuo’s Bawku Peace Plan, Remove Rival Mamprusi Chief
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have removed Alhaji Seidu Abagre, the rival Mamprusi chief, from Bawku in the Upper East Region as part of the implementation of recommendations from the Otumfuo Asantehene Osei Tutu II,led mediation process aimed at ending the long-running Bawku conflict.
The operation, carried out on Wednesday, December 24, was officially confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior in a brief statement posted on its Facebook page.
According to the Ministry, Alhaji Seidu Abagre was removed from Bawku pursuant to the recommendations contained in the Otumfuo mediation report on the Bawku chieftaincy dispute. The statement assured the public that the rival chief is safe and currently under the protection of security agencies.
“This afternoon, personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces removed Alhaji Seidu Abagre from Bawku in line with the recommendations of the Otumfuo Asantehene Osei Tutu II mediation report. He is safe in the care of the security agencies,” the statement said.
In the aftermath of the removal, unverified reports from the area indicate that sporadic gunshots were heard in parts of the township, with suggestions of possible casualties. However, authorities are yet to officially confirm these claims.
The Otumfuo mediation committee, set up to chart a path toward lasting peace in Bawku, had earlier recommended that Alhaji Seidu Abagre,who was recently installed by the Mamprusi side as a rival chief,be recalled to Nalerigu by the Overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri.
The committee further proposed that he be reassigned to perform a different traditional function at the Nayiri’s Palace in Nalerigu, rather than continue to present himself as a chief in Bawku.
As an alternative, the mediation report allows Mr Abagre to remain in Bawku strictly as a private citizen, provided he does not assume or project himself as the Bawku Naba.
Presenting the report, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II emphasized that a final resolution of the Bawku matter requires full adherence to these recommendations, adding that the legal position on the chieftaincy dispute has already been settled.
He noted that the Supreme Court of Ghana has affirmed Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the lawful and legitimate Bawku Naba.
The mediation report was formally presented to President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, December 16, marking a significant step in efforts to restore calm and stability to the conflict-prone area.
