Dakpema Naa Bawa Fuseini, the chief of Tamale, and four other people were shot after unknown gunmen assaulted the palace in the early hours of yesterday, 7th March 2022.
According to reports, the chief was shot in the head and stomach and was brought to the Tamale Teaching Hospital alongside the other victims.
The attackers, numbering around 15, are alleged to have invaded the palace around 5 a.m. and fired indiscriminately, hurting the victims and damaging other property.
Though the exact motive of the attack is unknown, sources claim that it was related to a recent dispute between the Dakpema and other chiefs in the metropolis about who is the supreme chief of Tamale.
Superintendent Bernard Baba Ananga, Northern Regional Police Crime Officer, told the media yesterday that the police got information about the incident and quickly dispatched troops to the palace, but the shooters had departed the area.
He claimed that a gang of young men in a Toyota Pickup attacked the palace and opened fire indiscriminately, hurting the chief and others in the vicinity.
“We have visited the chief and the other injured persons at the hospital and they are in stable condition, responding to medical care,” Supt Ananga said.
He stated that the police had initiated an investigation into the event to capture the offenders and that a joint police and military force had also been deployed to maintain calm.
Incident
During a visit to the palace, it was discovered that the attack had also destroyed motorbikes and other valuables.
Deep gunshot marks were seen on the walls of the palace and other nearby structures.
An attendant at the Dakpema palace, Adam Musah, told the reporters that the attack occurred after the talking drum was pounded at the palace in the early hours of yesterday.
He said that after firing the bullets, the gunmen sought to take the talking drums away, but the youth in the neighborhood violently resisted the action.
Background
There has been simmering animosity in Tamale regarding who is the supreme chief of Tamale.
While the Dakpema regards himself as Tamale’s Chief, the Gukpe Naa maintains the same position.
The case was sent to the Dagbon Overlord, Yaa-Naa Abukari II, and the Dagbon Traditional Council, who declared the Gukpe Naa Alhassan Abdulai to be the lawful chief of Tamale.
The Dakpema was thereafter barred from conducting certain ceremonies, such as playing talking drums, which indicated that he was a paramount chief.
Enforcement of directive
In response to the event, Northern Regional Minister Shani Alhassan Shaibu stated that “the Dakpema was banned from playing the talking drum.”
Culturally, the talking drums are played at certain palaces every Monday and Friday to mark the start of the week and the end of the previous one.
According to Alhaji Shaibu, the Regional Security Council has been working with both sides to ensure that the matter is addressed peacefully.
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SOURCE: GRAPHIC ONLINE
