2 Houses Burnt Over PNC Man's Death

SALIFU TIA aka Salifu Zongo Naaba

TWO HOUSES, including the house of Salifu Tia, the prime suspect in the murder of Moses Alando Banaba, have been razed down. 

The burning, which is alleged to have been committed by supporters of the deceased, was in retaliation to the murder of Alando, following the tension that enveloped the Nalerigu township.

Workers of the Baptist Medical Centre (BMC) in Nalerigu also threatened to lay down their tools in solidarity with their dead colleague, claiming the security of the rest of them cannot be guaranteed.  

The Chairman of the Northern Regional Security Committee (REGSEC), Stephen Sumani Nayina, who confirmed the burning to DAILY GUIDE, said five rooms in the house of the chief suspect were completely razed down.  

Two rooms in another house belonging to a close relative of the suspect were torched he added, but denied that the tension had enveloped the town as reported by sections of the media.

Mr. Nayina admitted that union workers at the Baptist Medical Centre threatened a strike, but the REGSEC, in a swift response, calmed them down and promised their concerns would be met.

In an earlier interview with the Northern Regional Police Commander, ACP Awuni Angwubutoge, he said more armed men would be dispatched to both the East and West Mamprusi districts to ensure the security of residents, some of whom were believed to be living in fear.

It would be recalled that the 2008 parliamentary candidate for the People's National Convention (PNC) in the Nalerigu-Gambaga Constituency, Mr. Moses Alando Banaba, was allegedly shot and killed by Salifu Tia in the early hours of last Friday.

Eyewitness accounts indicated the victim was on his way to work when he was killed by his assailant.

The fatal assault, according to security sources, is believed to be a spillover of the Bawku crises, following a long standing tribal conflict between the Mamprusis and Kusasis over chieftaincy succession.  

The suspect, a Mamprusi according to DAILY GUIDE sources, is believed to be a brother to one of the persons who was allegedly shot and killed by the military in Bawku last month in a heated gun battle.

The 31-year-old farmer, after committing the offence, enjoyed the support of residents who prevented his arrest and helped him abscond from the town.  

A re-inforcement team was however dispatched from the regional police headquarters to Nalerigu, and with the collaboration of the civil populace the suspect was apprehended at Gologu near Gushiegu in the Gushiegu district of the Northern Region.

Mr. Alando, a Kusasi and a pharmacist with the Baptist Medical Centre (BMC) in Nalerigu, it was gathered, become a target in view of the fact that he belonged to the opposing divide

Meanwhile, Salifu Tia, a.k.a Salifu Zongo Naaba, has since been remanded in prison custody by a Tamale Circuit Court, together with one other suspect, to appear at a later date.

Six other persons arrested in connection with the crime were however granted a police inquiry bail and are expected to report at the police station, pending further investigations.

The six other suspects were arrested at Nasia, and upon screening were granted the police inquiry bail awaiting further investigations.

From Stephen Zoure, Nalerigu