Abudu Youth: Dagbon Youth Association is not recognised

Accra, Aug. 18, GNA - Abudu Youth on Monday said the Dagbon Youth Association is not a recognised organisation and appealed to the Inspector General of Police not to give it a permit to stage its intended demonstration.

A statement faxed to the Ghana News Agency and signed by the Leader of the Abudu Youth, Alhaji Mugisu Seebaway said: "The only organised and registered group in Dagbon is the Dagomba Youth Association (D.A.Y.A.), which is the official mouthpiece of all Dagombas comprising the Abudu and Andani Gates, and which has been dormant since 1996."

It accused some politicians of being behind the intended demonstration by the Dagbon Youth Association.

The statement said that, "if indeed it is the entire Dagbon Youth that is organising the intended demonstration against the government to find the murderers of the late Ya-Na, then we members of the Abudu Youth, who by birthright are members of Dagbon youth will surely join the demonstrators to appeal to the government to arrest and prosecute those lured, trained and facilitated on the side of the late Ya-Na against the Abudus in Yendi."

The two gates to the Yendi Chieftaincy skin - Andani and Abudu - have been engaged in a dispute over which of them has the right to sit on the Skin of the Lion, the symbol of authority in Dagbon. The dispute dragged on to the Supreme Court that ruled that the sitting on the Skin should alternate between the two gates. The arrangement led to a semblance of peace in the traditional area for a long time.

However, in March 2002 the dispute boiled over leading to the assassination of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, the Paramount Chief of Dagbon and the killing of 29 others.

The government set up the Wuaku Commission to investigate the conflict.

Following the completion of the Commission's work two persons were charged with the murder of Ya-Na Adani at an Accra High Court but they were found not guilty.

It is in the light of this that the group calling itself Dagbon Youth Association gave an indication that it would demonstrate to ask the government to tell them who killed the Ya-Na. 18 Aug. 03