President’s mediation team defies curfew hours at Japekrom, Drobo

A three-member fact-finding and mediation team, set up by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to look into and resolve the chieftaincy dispute between Mpuasu-Japakrom and Drobo Traditional Areas in the Brong-Ahafo Region, has defied curfew hours in the area.

The 1800 hours to 0600hours curfew was imposed by the Ministry of Interior following a protracted chieftaincy dispute between the two neighbouring towns which turned bloody a month ago, and claimed three lives.

At its maiden visit to the two towns on Monday, the mediation team, led by Nana Stephen Owusu-Nsiah, a former Inspector General of Police (IGP) and member of the Council of State, held separately marathon meetings with the two Traditional Councils at Japekrom and Drobo, which dragged into the curfew hours.

As at 1800 hours, the three-member mediation team, including Dr Margaret Amoakohene, the Head of Department of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana, and Nana Kwadwo Agyenim-Boateng, a member of the Council of State representing Brong-Ahafo Region was still holding meetings with the chiefs of Drobo.

A contingent of police and military personnel deployed to enforce the curfew was unhappy when the meeting was going on during that hour, and they had to inform the team to halt the discussions.

According to the security, which later escorted the mediation team from the town, it was extremely dangerous for the meeting to go on during the curfew hours as anything “stupid” could happen.

Nana Owusu-Nsiah later told reporters that the outcomes of the meetings were very successful, hoping that with continuous cooperation from the two feuding parties, the dispute could be resolved for peace and social cohesion to prevail.

As at 1730 hours, residents including commercial drivers, petty traders as well as formal sector and informal sectors workers were all retiring to their homes.

The area turned into a ghost town as all shops and stores were closed and residents remained indoors.

There was no stray animal found in the two neighbouring towns, as military and police personnel controlled the area.

Earlier, Alhaji Appiah Abuu, the Jaman South Municipal Chief Executive told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the curfew had seriously affected and slowed down economic activities in the area.

He said since the curfew was imposed, the Assembly’s Internally Generated Fund (IGF) had reduced drastically, explaining that the Assembly was struggling to cater for the police and security personnel in the area enforcing the curfew.

Alhaji Abuu advised Assembly Members in the area to support in promoting peace in the area by sensitizing their constituents on the need for them to embrace peace.

He said comments from people showed that many of them were still emotional, thus, the need to extend the curfew hours.