14 on trial over Ya Na murder

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday July 8, 2010
Six more people suspected by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for their alleged involvement in the murder of Ya Na Yakubu Andani II, Chief of Dagbon have been put in court for trial.

It brings to 14 the total number of people arrested by the security agencies in connection with the murder of the Ya Na and some 30 others.

On June 28, 2010, six people namely Alhaji Baba Abdulai Iddrisu aka Zohe, Kwame Alhassan aka Achiri, Mohamadu Abdulai aka Samasama, Sayibu Mohammed, Alhassan Braimah and Alhaji Mohammed Habib Tijani, 45, former District Chief Executive of Yendi during the NPP regime as second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth persons respectively were indicted at the Adjabeng Magistrate Court in Accra.

The first accused Iddrisu Iddi aka Mbadugu who was on admission at the Police Hospital in Accra at the last adjourned date finally made it to the court yesterday and was also committed to the High Court for but Zakaria Yakubu aka Zakaria Forest, the seventh accused person declared at large by the security agencies was not still in court.

The six brought to the court presided over by Ms. Patricia Quansah for committal to the High Court for trial include Baba Ibrahim aka Baba Zey, Alhassan Mohammed a.k.a Mohammed Cheampon, Mohammed Mustapha, Sani Moro, Yakubu Yusif a.k.a Leftee and Hammed Abukari Yussif.

The committal of the accused could not be done because the prosecution led by Ms. Gertrude Aikins, the Director of Public Prosecution told the packed court that there were errors on the summary of evidence as 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th accused respectively.

She said the summary of evidence on Yusif aka Leftee was not ready and that accounted for the prosecution’s inability to go ahead with the committal proceedings.

This prompted Mr. Phillip Addison, counsel for the accused persons to complain to the court that the prosecution had not been giving them documents in the case on time adding “we have always been cooperating with the prosecution. We even brought Leftee to the police,” but the DPP said it was not deliberate.

The judge then remanded the six into police custody and adjourned the case to July 15, 2010 for the prosecution to make the submission for committal.
The facts of the case as read by the DPP there are two Royal Gates to the Dagbon paramount skin called Andani and Abudu and succession to the skin has been on rotational basis.

However this system was disrupted in 1969 bringing about a protracted litigation between the two gates leading to the de-skinment of the Late Ya-Na Mahamadu Abdulai IV and the enskinment of the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II.

In February 2002, the celebration of the "Eidil Adha" festival brought about disturbances in Yendi and intelligence report indicated that arms had been smuggled into the township by both gates.

The District Security Committee (DISEC) imposed a curfew and placed a ban on the celebration of the Bugum (fire) festival. An approval of the imposition of the curfew was given by the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) on 23rd March 2002.

Whilst Abudu gate embraced the decision, the Ya-Na saw it as an affront to his position and on March 25, 2002 the Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II decided to invite his elders to the Gbewaa Palace by sending Ziblim Abdulai to call one Mbadugu, Dugu-Lana and whilst returning with Mbadugu, Dugu-Lana, he was attacked and assaulted by some Abudu Youths.

The attack was followed by sporadic shooting towards the palace later in the day and the attack on the Gbewaa Palace by the Abudus intensified in the evening leading to the death of some of the elders inside the palace.

About 30 people lost their lives with many others hospitalized for all kinds of injuries and the situation worsened on the subsequent days that is on 26th and 27th days of March 2002.

On March 27, 2002 the Gbewaa Palace fell to the Abudus. The palace was set ablaze and the shooting was intensified leading to many deaths and when some of the elders in the palace attempted to escape they were shot dead.

Zakaria Yakubu now at large was seen by witnesses in this case decapitating the Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II near a kraal, after he had been dragged there by Mahamadu Abdulai and one other now at large and Mohammed Habib Tijani the then DCE was deeply involved in the conspiracy.

After, Zakaria Yakubu had decapitated the Ya-Na, others now at large poured petrol on the king after putting used car tyres to set fire to the body.

The killing of the Ya Na in 2002 became a major campaign tool for the NDC in the run up to the 2008 general and even made it a manifesto promise to find the killers and prosecute them.

According to the NDC, its predecessor, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) did not do enough to prosecute those involved in the killing of the Ya Na and some of the late king’s elders.