Some irate youth of Mamprugu in Nalerigu in the North East Region have vandalized the regional office of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) for discrediting and making a mockery of their tradition and custom.

This comes on the back of a bench warrant issued by the High Court in Bolgatanga for the arrest of the newly-enskinned chief of the Mamprugu and his kingmakers.

The irate youth destroyed the offices of the NPP and the Police Station in the early hours of Monday, 20 February 2023.

They also blocked some of the roads in the community that lead to the Nalerigu Chief’s Palace in order to protect the overlord from arrest while burning tyres in the middle of the road.

According to Class FM’s Upper East Regional Correspondent, Moses Apiah, the irate youth blamed government for being behind the arrest warrant after it released a statement to discredit the enskinment of the new overlord.

They also blamed the governing NPP for being behind the mockery that the newly-enskinned king is facing and vowed to resist any attempt to arrest him.

Soldiers deployed by the government to Nalerigu in the Upper East Region to arrest a usurper chief of the volatile Bawku town on Sunday night (19 February 2023) had to retreat after a phalanx of local rebels resisted their mission, occasioning a near-fatal standoff.

The arrest attempt followed a warrant issued by a High Court in Bolgatanga to that affect.

The High Court in Bolgatanga issued a warrant of arrest for Alhaji Seidu Abagre (Kulga II), Naa Bohagu Mahami Abduali Sheriga, the newly-enskinned Paramount Chief of the Mamprugu Traditional area and his king makers.

The court issued the warrant on Saturday, 18 February 2023.

Armed soldiers were, therefore, deployed to the area to carry out the orders of the court.

However, the deployed soldiers clashed with the youth of the town during the arrest at midnight on Sunday, 19 February 2023.

Government had early on directed the security agencies to arrest any person who holds himself out as the Bawku Naba beside the duly gazetted Naba.

This came on the back of a purported enskinment of a new chief for the Mamprusi people, on Wednesday, 15 February 2023.

Government also condemned the enskinment of the new Bawku Naba.

It further described the enskinment of a new Bawku Naba as “illegal and a threat to National Security.”

It reiterated that “Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the Bawku Naba duly gazetted and a member of the National and Upper East Regional House of Chiefs.”

This was contained in a statement issued by the Ministry of Information and signed by Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

“Any developments that have the potential to undermine the peace of Bawku will also be dealt with swiftly in accordance with law,” the statement added.

Source: classfmonline.com