A chaotic scene erupted at a meeting of the Gonja Traditional Council on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, leading to an exchange of blows that reportedly brought tears to the eyes of the King of the Gonja Kingdom.

The Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale (I), along with around forty paramount chiefs, gathered at the meeting in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region.

The unexpected turn of events left many of the chiefs astonished and caused the King to openly shed tears of disappointment.

The scuffle involved some members of the youth who had arrived at the palace to address a petition they had submitted to the council.

According to a JoyNews report, a decision was made to dismiss the petition, which was presented to the Gonja Traditional Council through the Yagbonwura, calling for the removal of the Registrar of the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs, Kapori Abutu. The petition also sought an investigation into certain chiefs regarding alleged misappropriation of funds from charcoal sales.

The report further indicated that the council did not endorse the petition, leading to confusion among the youth present.

Eyewitnesses reported that this prompted the Palace to call for police protection in order to maintain law and order.

"The petition was read aloud by the Registrar, and afterwards, Kpembewura and others stated that if these were the only allegations, they were baseless. So, they requested for the petition to be dropped, and it was. The Council did not delve into it, and while still present, the youth, including some of the petitioners, engaged in arguments which escalated into physical altercations," an eyewitness said.

Several eyewitnesses confirmed that the Yagbonwura did shed tears following the incident. One individual stated, "The tears shed by Yagbonwura today are a result of his disappointment in the people whom he believed he could trust. These tears will be a curse upon those individuals if nothing is done to rectify the situation."

The two-day meeting marked the first gathering for Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale (I) since his enthronement a few months ago as the King and lifetime President of both the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs and the Gonja Traditional Council.

According to residents in Damongo, where the meeting took place, this event "will go down in the history books of the Kingdom as a dark day for Kagbanye (Followers of Sumaila Ndewura Jakpa)."

The report also indicated that the meeting, initially scheduled to conclude before noon on Tuesday, was postponed until 2:00 pm, causing chiefs from distant communities to wait until the evening.

Security at the palace is said to have been taken over by the police and the military to ensure peace, law and order.

The Gonja Traditional Council serves as the highest decision-making body in the Gonja Kingdom and includes all paramount chiefs and prominent elders as members. Its purpose is to regulate and direct the development and general welfare of the Kingdom.

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