Forty-one arrested in Dagbon

Forty-one people have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani, Overlord of Dagbon, and 30 others in March 2002, while four others were nabbed for their reaction to the arrests.

Chief Inspector Ebenezer Tetteh, Public Relations Officer of the Northern Regional Police Command, told the Ghana News Agency on Sunday that Security personnel on Saturday dawn rounded up 41 people during a swoop in the Yendi Municipality.

The suspects were screened at Bimbilla and six of them were sent to Accra for further investigations; two were detained for possessing firearms without authorisation; while the remaining 33 were given self recognisance bail.

Chief Inspector Tetteh said four persons - Arimiyaw Abubakari; Labaran Sofo; Abubakari Alhassan and Abubakari Seidu - were later arrested for allegedly causing public nuisance, damaging public property and throwing stones at public officers following the arrests.

He said tension started mounting in the Yendi Municipality when the arrests were effected and irate youth numbering about 400 suspected to have come from the Abudu Gate to the Ya-Na Skin, on Sunday morning converged at the Yendi Community Centre trying to organise a press conference.

Chief Insp. Tetteh said the Police stopped the press conference since it was a public event and the Police ought to have been notified about it due to the volatile nature of the area.

He said the youth, who were protesting against the arrest of the six suspects, continued to engage in acts of lawlessness in the Yendi Municipality.   

He said they moved to the market and started throwing stones and burning tyres indiscriminately and causing pandemonium while people fled helter-skelter, adding that the Municipal Chief Executive's shop was partially burnt in the process.  

Chief Insp. Tetteh said when the four were arrested by the combined Police and Military Team the rest took to their heels.

He said those arrested would be arraigned soon for causing public nuisance, damage to public property and assault on public officers.

Chief Insp. Tetteh said the Police cum Military teams have intensified day and night patrols to prevent any escalation of violence and cautioned that anyone caught engaging in acts of lawlessness would be dealt with according to the law.  He said calm has since returned to the area.

The assassination of Ya-Na Andani II was a major platform of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2008 electioneering campaign and Saturday's arrests could well be in fulfilment of its campaign promise to bring the perpetrators of that dastardly act to book.