Asantehene Calls for Enforcement of Law Recognising Naba Azoka II as Bawku Chief
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II says existing laws and Supreme Court rulings recognise Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the legitimate Bawku Chief
- Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has reaffirmed Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the lawful Bawku Chief
- He called on the government to enforce these laws decisively to end the decades-long conflict and restore peace in the Bawku area
- The final recommendation, presented to President Mahama, places the responsibility for stability and law enforcement squarely on the Executive
The Asantehene and Chairman of the Special Peace Committee on the Bawku Chieftaincy Conflict, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on the government to firmly and decisively enforce existing laws that recognise Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the legitimate Chief of Bawku and the head of the Kusasi Traditional Area.
Otumfuo described the directive as his final and non-negotiable recommendation to President John Dramani Mahama in the long-running conflict between the Mamprusi and Kusasi groups—a dispute that has claimed numerous lives and stalled development in Bawku for decades.
The recommendation was formally presented at the Jubilee House in Accra, bringing to a close the presidentially initiated, high-level mediation process aimed at resolving the deadly chieftaincy dispute.
Law Above All
Presenting the committee’s report, the Asantehene grounded his conclusions not in compromise or customary negotiation, but firmly in Ghana’s constitutional order and the Supreme Court’s final rulings on the matter.
He explained that the legal status of the Bawku chieftaincy was established under the Restoration of Status of Chiefs Law, PNDC Law 75 (1983), and later reinforced by the Supreme Court in 2003.
Addressing the President and state officials, Otumfuo stressed that no traditional authority, regardless of rank, stands above the Constitution or the courts.
“We chiefs, no matter how exalted, do not live above the Constitution of Ghana and the laws duly enacted and affirmed by the courts,” he stated.
He specifically urged the Nayiri of Mamprugu, Naa Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, to accept the settled legal position, following attempts in recent years to install a rival chief in Bawku.
“Mr President, I recommend that my brother, the Nayiri, accept the laws as presently constituted recognising Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the Chief of Bawku and head of the Kusasi traditional area,” Otumfuo said.
Government Must Act
The report places the responsibility for restoring peace squarely on the Executive, calling for immediate and firm enforcement action against any individual or group that challenges the authority of the legally recognised Bawku Naba.
According to the Asantehene, failure to enforce the law has sustained a cycle of violence in the Upper East Region, which has claimed hundreds of lives since late 2021.
He warned against political hesitation or renewed mediation efforts that ignore settled law, insisting that enforcement remains the only viable path to stability.
“The laws recognising Asigri Abugrago Azoka II must be enforced by the Government of Ghana until changed in accordance with the 1992 Constitution or reviewed by the Supreme Court,” he emphasised.
Otumfuo noted that although the conflict has roots in colonial-era policies that imposed Mamprugu authority over the indigenous Kusasi people, the Supreme Court’s 2003 ruling conclusively settled the matter.
That judgment, he stressed, remains binding on all Ghanaians—traditional leaders included—and must be respected to bring lasting peace to Bawku.
