Good day ladies and gentlemen of the media, we bring you greetings
from Krachi Nchumuru District.
We have called you here to put out the issues of concern regarding the
recent disturbances at Bakando, a suburb of Chinderi which occurred on
the19th of November, 2022 resulting in the killing of Nana Mebo II and
two others over a piece of land located at Bakando and the subsequent
press statements by some stakeholders.
We extend our sympathy to the bereaved families at Borae Ahenfie for
the gruesome murder of Nana Mebo II and two others by unknown
assailants who are currently at large.
The lost of lives is painful and disheartening, for no one can take the
life of another person intentionally except in the exercise of an execution
of a competent court of jurisdiction as stated in article 13(1) of the 1992
constitution.
As we condemn the unfortunate occurrence, we also want to express our
utmost regret about the numerous press releases by some sections of the Nchumurus to misrepresent facts. It’s rather unfortunate that our
brothers from the Chonke Youth Association, Nchumuru Traditional
Council and Nana Bonja II of Borae no. 2 came up with press releases
dated 24/11/22 and 25/11/22 respectively and made the following
allegations:
I. The allegation that, we the Konkombas repeatedly boast about the
ability of our men in political offices to get us off the hook anytime an
alleged crime is committed by a member of the ethnic group.
We see this as unfortunate and hatred for Konkombas because there are
instances of clashes between the Nchumurus and other ethnic groups
which Nchumurus were deemed to be the perpetrators, yet nobody
linked it to their leaders in government or society.
For example, there was a clash between Nchumurus of Boafri and the
Gbedes which occurred on 30th October, 2018 where the Nchumurus
attacked the Gbedes on the farm and killed one person and injured
another.
Again, on the 10th of June, 2021, the Nchumurus attacked the Gbedes
and killed one person and injured two others.
Other recorded disturbances that claimed a life occured at Dindor a
suburb of Chinderi where an Nchumuru man stabbed a Bator man to
death over a woman on 27th December, 2019.
We want to ask whether it was the then MP Hon. John Majisi and
the Nchumurus in the then government who incited the Nchumurus
to commit those crimes?
We also want to ask Nana Bonja II of Chonke traditional area
whether he is the one inciting the Nchumurus’ to commit crimes
since he also occupies a high office as a chief. We once more want to ask the chief of Borae no. 2 (Nana Bonja II),
“who roped in the Konkombas in government concerning his bitter
relationship with the late Nana Mebo II?”
We again want Nana Bonja II to tell the whole nation why he and the
Adontinhene of Borae Ahenfie were not part of the series of meetings
that took place between the Nchumuru Chiefs and the District Chief
Executive at Chinderi after the unfortunate incident?
We want to put on record that, he (Nana Bonja II) and the Adontihene
are friends to the people of Bakando community and had series of
meetings with them before the killing of Nana Mebo and the two others.
The security agencies can verify the facts from the relatives of the
late Nana Mebo and other members of Borae Ahenfie community.
We also want the security agencies to ask Nana Bonja what he was
expecting when he told the people of Bakando to go ahead and farm
on the said piece of land that led to the killing of Nana Mebo II?
Konkombas have no interest in the chieftaincy of Borae Ahenfie.
The question is who took the stool and regalia of Nana Mebo II? We
want the security agencies to be interested in this.
Let’s talk about the substance of the matter and stop this unnecessary
attention seeking attempt by the Chonke Nchumuru Youth Association,
the Traditional Council and Nana Bonja to defame our leaders of their
hard-earned reputation. This should be disregarded by all and sundry.
We want to emphatically state that the unfortunate act was allegedly
committed by some unknown people at Bakando and Borae Ahenfie
which we all condemn.
We will therefore, appeal to our brothers and sisters of the
Nchumuru tribe to as it were, limit it to those communities and
refrain from generalizing it as if there was a tribal conflict between
Konkombas and Nchumurus. This kind of generalization has a high propensity of raising tension
which is not good for the peace we are all seeking. Again, it will
make it difficult for the security agencies to apprehend those who
incited, conspired with and actually took part in the killing of Nana
Mebo II and the two others.
II. Ladies and gentlemen, the directive that security agencies should take
steps to prosecute all outstanding issues involving alleged Konkomba
brutalities without further delay is mischievous.
We think the directive by the association to security agencies to single
out only issues of brutalities alleged to be committed by konkombas’ is
not the way to go but an attempt to make it look as if it’s only
Konkombas in the district who commit alleged crimes.
There are series of disturbances at hand but because they are not related
to Konkombas, shouldn’t it be investigated and prosecuted?
III. Ladies and gentlemen, the call on the security agencies to give true
meaning to the various court rulings in May, 2005 and June, 2017 and
enforcing same per the Chonke Nchumuru Youth Association Press
release.
We equally have the court rulings and understand the content of it.
As to who has an interest in a particular parcel of land is well spelt
out in the new Land Act 2020 (Act 1036)
We are not here by coincidence but as citizens of Ghana and not
settlers as often been described by most of their press releases and
comments. We have co-existed with the Nchumurus for a very long time and have
even inter-married and will not accept the clustering of the entire ethnic
group together for a crime committed by few groups of people and
making it look as if it’s a tribal war. Of course, in every society there are
a few miscreants, and the law always finds a way to deal with such
people.
Ladies and gentlemen, we again want to appeal to Nana Bonja II,
Chonke Nchumuru Youth Association, the Nchumuru Traditional
Council, and all other individuals of Nchumuru descent who are
throwing dust into the eyes of the media and the general public to
stop putting the name of the entire Konkomba ethnic group into
disrepute and allow the security agencies to identify and prosecute
those who committed the crime.
We want them to refrain from some of the utterances used in their
press releases. Such utterances are not only insulting but also very
provocative.
Nana Bonja II, the Chonke-Nchumuru Youth Association and
Traditional Council have erred in most of their press releases and
need to apologize to us as an ethnic group because it’s not the entire
ethnic group that has committed the said crime.
We have been silent for a while now because we believe the security
agencies will do the needful by bringing the culprits to book for peace to
prevail.
We stand for peace and call on all to remain calm and disregard the
attempt by anybody to make it look like the Konkombas are fighting
against the Nchumurus’, that’s not the situation at hand, Ladies and
Gentlemen.
At the appropriate time, all those who have dragged the entire
ethnic group into disrepute or defamed any personality will be made
to face the full rigor of the law We want to use this medium to commend the District Security Council
Krachi Nchumuru District, the Regional Security Council-Oti , the
security agencies, the National Association of Nchunbrungs (NAN), The
Konkomba Youth Association(KOYA) and other stakeholders for their
prompt response in ensuring calm in the affected communities and
promise them that all legitimate and lawful procedures that will be taken
for the people of Borae Ahenfie to be served justice are welcomed.
Thank you.
Signed:
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