Ya-Na's Burial In Limbo

... As Andani, Abudu wrangle over selection of regent The burial of theYa-NaYakubu Andani II, the late king of Dagbon, at Yendi will not come onm today, as originally agreed upon by the two factions of the Dagbon, the Andanis and the Abudus. This is because the two gates have failed to reach a compromise, as to who should install a regent, as demanded by Dagbon custom.

Chronicle Intelligence at Yendi last Saturday gathered that the Andanis and the Abudus were both claiming that they had to install a regent to pave theway for the burial of the late king, who was killed in a conflict between the two factions in Yendi on March 27, 2002.

Last week, the two gates met in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region with the Asantehene, where an agreement was reached that the late chief should be buried today.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is one of the eminent chiefs appointed by the President, Mr. John Agyekium Kufuor, to investigate the traditional aspect of the crisis. Others were King of the Gonjas and King of the Mamprusis.

The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, when contacted, confirmed that the burial will not come off today, as planned.

The two gates, according to our source in Yendi, are meeting the Asantehene again tomorrow on the issue of selecting a regent.

Meanwhile, during the visit of the regional minister and some security heads to Yendi, family members of Andani, both women and men, were busily working on the newly constructed palace of the Dagbon king, Activities going on at the palace included painting, masonry works and erection of a pavilion for the burial ceremony of the late king.

Also at the royal mausoleum, which was not burnt during the crisis, some civil works were going on. But, a section of the old palace, which, the paper gathered, was built by the Abudus, was left untouched, as the Andanis working at the palace would not go there.

The security situation at the traditional capital of the Dagombas, Yendi, has been intensified. The Ghana Police Service has deployed 400 police officers in Yendi, with a complement of men from the Ghana Armed Forces.

Addressing the police and the army separately, the regional minister said the presence of the security personnel in Yendi, simply indicates the government's commitment to ensuring that peace prevails in Dagbon.

According to Alhaji Saddique, it also shows that the government was a caring one, committed to protecting every living soul on the soil of Dagbon.

He called on the people to reciprocate the government efforts at ensuring peace in the area by giving the security the necessary cooperation to achieve their aim.

The Alhaji commended the security officers for their dedication to duty and for responding rapidly to the call to protect the people of Yendi.

The commanders of both the police and the army in Yendi pledged that they would not let the nation down, as they had vowed to provide total security for the people of Dagbon in particular and the country as a whole.

Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region, has not been left out as security was deployed in the metropolis to ensure law and order. At the time of filing this story, armoured vehicles were patrolling in the metropolis, while residents went about their normal duties smoothly.