Bawku: Bissa Development Association condemns attack on two Bissa tribemen; accuses Mahama Ayariga of bias

The Bissa Development Association (BDA) has taken a swipe at the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga.

They accuse him of being biased towards Kusasi and not prioritising the lives of the Bissa people.

The accusation comes after the attack on two Bissa men on Friday, February 17.

Sadly, one of the attacked men identified as Mr. Braimah Moro subsequently lost his life.

The attackers, who are alleged to be Kusasi young men from Sabongari, a suburb of Bawku tracked their victims who hail from Pusiga but were on a visit to Nware, and laid an ambush in a river.

They are reported to have opened fire on the two Bissa men who were crossing the river. The attack left the two victims seriously injured, but unfortunately, Braimah Moro died on the way to the hospital.

The sound of the gunfire attracted residents of the Nware community who are predominantly Bissas.

The brave Bissa youth came out to pursue the attackers and managed to arrest one of them with the other managing to escape.

Despite having the opportunity to lynch the attacker, the Bissa youth opted to rather hand him over to the security forces.

In its press release, the Bissa Development Association says it condemns totally the gruesome attack on the two young men.

“The BDA condemns in no uncertain terms, this cowardly attack by these two alleged Kusasi youth that led to the death of our brother, Braimah Moro. We recall sadly a similar attack by unknown gunmen on December 24, 2022 on a Bissa family at Winamzua, Bawku, which killed 5 persons and left two women in a critical condition. The Police must stretch their investigations to establish a correlation, if any, between the murder of Moro and that of many Bissas who were targeted and executed in similar style,” part of the release from the group signed by the Chairman of its National Executive Committee Alhaji Shaibu Musah Gutare said.

According to the BDA, Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central must sit up and stop being biased.

The group argues that the MP never found it necessary to even express a word of sympathy or condolences towards the victims and family of the Winamzua massacre.

The BDA added that it is interesting to, however, see the MP condemning seriously, the killing of some Kusasi youth by the military.

“Whiles we are not in principle, against the MP defending his people, we are sad that Hon. Ayariga only finds it convenient to do so when the victims are Kusasis. We wish to remind our Hon. MP that a significant number of Bissa voters contributed to making him an MP. Therefore, Bissa lives matter,” the Bissa Development Association said in their press release.

Read the full release below:
BISSA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (BDA)
OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (NEC)
P.O. Box CT 982, Cantonments, Accra
PRESS STATEMENT RELEASED BY THE BISSA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (BDA), DATED

18^TH FEBRUARY, 2023
Friends from the Media,
All peace-loving Ghanaians
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is with a heavy heart that the Bissa Development Association (BDA) issues this press statement to condemn the gruesome attack on two Bissas leading to the death of an innocent young man, Mr. Braimah Moro, aka Kufuor Moro at Nware, a village near Pusiga at about 7:30pm on Friday, 17^th February, 2023.

The attackers, who are said to be Kusasi young men from Sabongari, a suburb of Bawku tracked their victims who hail from Pusiga but were on a visit to Nware and laid ambush in a river. They opened fire on the two Bissa men who were crossing the river. The attack left the two victims seriously injured, but unfortunately, Braimah Moro died on the way to hospital.

The sound of the gunfire attracted residents of the Nware community who are predominantly Bissas. The brave Bissa youth came out to pursue the attackers and managed to arrest one of them with the other managing to escape. The Bissa youth had every opportunity to lynch the attacker, but as peace loving as the Bissa community is known for, he was handed over to the security forces.

It is of interest to note that there were several threats on the life of Braimah Moro from a certain Kusaug Intelligence Centre, alleging that Moro, a national security officer, was giving false information leading to the arrest of Kusasis in Pusiga. In the words of the said post, “he must not escape!!!”.

The BDA condemns in no uncertain terms, this cowardly attack by these two alleged Kusasi youth that led to the death of our brother, Braimah Moro. We recall sadly a similar attack by unknown gunmen on December 24, 2022 on a Bissa family at Winamzua, Bawku, which killed 5 persons and left two women in a critical condition. The Police must stretch their investigations to establish a correlation, if any, between the murder of Moro and that of many Bissas who were targeted and executed in similar style.

The BDA further notes with serious concerns, the open bias exhibited by the Honourable Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central towards Bissa victims. The MP never found it necessary to even express a word of sympathy or condolences towards the victims and family of the Winamzua massacre. It is interesting however to see our Honourable MP condemning seriously, the killing of some Kusasi youth by the military. Whiles we are not in principle, against the MP defending his people, we are sad that Hon. Ayariga only finds it convenient to do so when the victims are Kusasis. We wish to remind our Hon. MP that a significant number of Bissa voters contributed to making him an MP. Therefore, Bissa lives matter!

The BDA and the entire Bissa community is observing with keen interest how this suspect and his collaborators in the murder of Braima Moro will be treated by the security forces and the law enforcement agencies. We urge them to protect the suspect from any harm and ensure that due process is followed. The outcome of this matter will have repercussions on how the peace loving Bissa community will treat criminals of such nature. May the death of Braimah Moro, the Winamzua massacre and those of many Bissas through the wicked hands of unknown gunmen never be in vain.

Thank you.
By: ALHAJI SHAIBU MUSAH GUTARE
CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (NEC)

BISSA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
0244075654
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