The Chairman of the special peace committee tasked with resolving the protracted Bawku Chieftaincy Conflict, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has urged the government to decisively enforce existing laws recognising Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the legitimate Chief of Bawku and head of the Kusasi Traditional Area.
This recommendation marks the final, non-negotiable advice to President John Dramani Mahama on the decades-long conflict between the Mamprisis and Kusasis, which has claimed numerous lives and hindered development in Bawku.
The recommendation was formally presented today at the Jubilee House in Accra, concluding the high-profile mediation effort initiated by the presidency to address the deadly dispute between the two factions.
Laws of the Land Are Supreme
In delivering the committee’s report, the Asantehene anchored his ultimate recommendation not only on traditional diplomacy but also on the Constitution of Ghana and the Supreme Court’s final judicial determination of the matter.
This legal position upholds the status quo established by the Restoration of Status of Chiefs Law 75 (1983) and consolidated by the Supreme Court in 2003.
Addressing the President and his delegation, the Asantehene emphasised that no traditional leader, regardless of status, is above the law.
“We chiefs, no matter how exalted, do not live above the Constitution of Ghana and the laws duly enacted and affirmed by the courts,” he stated.
He also called upon Naa Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, the Nayiri of Mamprugu, who has recently attempted to install a rival chief in Bawku, to accept the legal reality.
“The final recommendation, Mr President, is that my brother, the Nayiri, accept the laws as presently constituted, recognising Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the Chief of Bawku and head of the Kusasi Traditional Area,” he added.
Government’s Mandate: Enforcement and Stability
The committee’s report places the ultimate responsibility for peace squarely on the Executive, calling for immediate and firm action against anyone challenging the legally recognised authority of Naba Azoka II.
This, the Asantehene stressed, is critical to halting the cycle of violence that has plagued the Upper East Region, claiming hundreds of lives since late 2021.
The Asantehene left no room for ambiguity or political equivocation:
“Accordingly, the laws which recognised Asigri Abugrago Azoka II must be enforced by the government of the Republic of Ghana until changed in accordance with the 1992 Constitution or reviewed by the Supreme Court of Ghana.”
He emphasised that swift enforcement of the law is the only path to lasting de-escalation.
The conflict, rooted in colonial-era policies that sought to impose the Mamprugu chieftaincy over the indigenous Kusasi of Bawku, has seen its legal status shift with successive political regimes. However, the Supreme Court’s final ruling in 2003 affirmed the legitimacy of Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, a decision binding on all citizens, including traditional leaders.
