Post Ya-Na trial and peace in Dabgon

The outcome was always going to be emotional. The moment the then opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) made it a manifesto pledge to hunt down and prosecute the murderers of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani and 40 of his household, the unfortunate event entered the political football arena.

Even then, the court verdict on Tuesday, in which all the 14 accused persons standing trial at an Accra High Court were freed, did not mean that sympathisers of the party, tracing their royal lineage to the Andani dynasty, should vent their spleen on the party.

Destroying party offices and paraphernalia was not going to bring justice to anybody. The Chronicle believes it was not in the best interest of the state, the Dagbon Traditional Area, or in anybody's interest, to put political colour to the heinous crime.

Now that the Attorney-General has been given another bloody nose, The Chronicle would like to believe that party leaders would need to engage the rioting youth to desist from wanton destruction of party property.

It is not the fault of any individual that the case could not stand before the strong pillars of our justice system. If anything at all, the outcome of the trial vindicates our justice system, as being robust.

We would like all those visiting mayhem on the party and state property to ask themselves why they failed to appear before court if they were of the opinion that they had evidence to convict the accused persons.

Ghanaians should learn from the lessons of this trial. Speculation and suspicion do not win cases in our justice system. It is hard evidence, grounded on facts. It is a shame that former President Jerry John Rawlings, who screamed his way into getting the Ya-Na case in court, failed to provide the evidence at his command.

The Chronicle would like to advise him to forever hold his peace on this matter. He had every opportunity to avail himself in the courtroom to lead evidence that would have pointed to the direction of those he perceives as behind the atrocious act.

We agonise so much when someone who has led this nation as Constitutional Head of State descends into the gutters, simply because he has his own reasons to dislike the political persuasion of those who took over from him.

Nation-building is far from screaming foul words against political opponents and wishing ill against them. Unless fresh evidence could be deduced, we are of the view that we all have to put this case behind us, and continue with our efforts at reconstructing this nation.

Like a number of Ghanaians, we believed the best means of bringing relief to a seriously aggrieved people was to leave the mediation effort in the hands of the Eminent Group, led by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene.

As it was, by rushing the case to court, the conventional wisdom is that Asantehene and his eminent chiefs were slighted.

In his usual magnanimity, we are of the view that the Asantehene and his eminent group would welcome the invitation to continue with the very difficult task of cooling tempers in the Dagbon area, and working towards genuine reconciliation

In the interim, we entreat both sides to the Dagbon dispute to give peace a chance.