Rawlings berates gov't handling of Ya-Naa's death; calls for justice
The former President of Ghana, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has called for justice for the late overlord of Dagbon.
Ya-Naa Andani II was assassinated in a gruesome manner in 2002. This sparked a chieftaincy dispute between the two royal families namely, the Abudus and the Andanis.
Several attempts by the government to have the late Dagbon ruler buried have been vehemently resisted by family members citing cases of injustice.
Addressing the family of the late Ernest Debrah, former Minister in the Kufuor government, the former military ruler criticized the tardy attempts by successive governments to ensure justice for Ya-Naa Andani II.
“For his departure to have gone on through three administrations [governments] without seeing the necessary justice to ensure a decent funeral for him is a painful load that some of us carry,” he berated.
He believed “this is something we should all be thinking about. Let us do justice to what led to his departure and I believe there will be a decent funeral.”
Mr Rawlings said he is “hoping and looking forward to the late Ya-Naa also seeing justice being done over the manner in which he left us so that his funeral may be carried out in a decent way for all of us to have the peace of mind the country needs and deserves.”
Commenting on the late Ernest Debrah, the longest serving leader of Ghana described him as “quiet, amiable and unassuming personality.”
He said it is painful for the country to lose “people like him and personalities such as Paul Victor Obeng because the country needs people of their caliber.”
He was happy the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North was able to contribute his quota “of discipline and knowledge to his country.”
Brother of the deceased, Professor Sam Akobour Debrah used the opportunity to inform the former President that the funeral will take place on Saturday, July 30, at Tanoso in Sunyani.
Other members of the delegation were Francis and Steve Akobour Debrah, also brothers of the deceased.