Children of Ya Naa Andani II call for justice

Some children of the late Overlord of Dagbon, Ya Naa Yakubu Andani II, have expressed their worry over the delay by the government in bringing those behind the murder of their father to book.

According to them, the government was only dealing with the traditional aspect of the matter, while the criminal side was not being pursued with the urgency it deserved to ensure that the murderers faced justice.

The late Ya Naa was killed 13 years ago in a chieftaincy dispute.

Petition

The children expressed the worry when they presented a petition to the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, at the Regional Coordinating Council in Tamale last Friday to remind the government about the delay in the arrest and prosecution of those behind the murder of their father.

The petition was presented to the regional minister by the children of the late Ya Naa after a protest march through some principal streets of Tamale.

One of the children explained that the petition was to remind the government that “justice delayed is justice denied”.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the delay in bringing the perpetrators to book and likened the situation to a bucket that had been put under an open tap.

The children indicated that they were unhappy with "the prolonged loss of interest on the part of the government in the matter concerning the arrest and prosecution of those who were involved in the murder".

They were concerned about the attention being paid to the traditional aspects of the case, which they thought was overshadowing the criminal side of the matter. 

It’s been 13 years since

Thirteen years, in their opinion, was too long and they did not want the government to forget about the fact that their father was murdered in cold blood.

Alhaji Limuna, who received the petition on behalf of the government, expressed his sympathies to the family of the late Dagbon King and stated that the President, and for that matter, the government, had not "swept the matter under the carpet" but was in the process of finding the perpetrators to bring the matter to a final closure.

He added that the President, at many public functions in the region, had expressed his strongest desire and commitment to resolve the issue and appealed to the family of the late Ya Naa to exercise restraint and allow ongoing investigations into the matter to proceed.