Late Ya Na sent SOS - DCE

The Commission of Enquiry into the Yendi Clashes has been told that although the Late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani sent an SOS message on the morning of his death, he could not be rescued. The District Chief Executive of Yendi, Mohammed Habib Tijani said the late Ya Na first sent an SOS message through one Abdulai Zibrim. The Yendi Divisional Police Commander and District director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) also came with the same SOS message. But the Military did not respond immediately because a Mowag (armoured car) that could convey military personnel for the rescue mission had no battery.

When they eventually got a battery and went to the palace, it was on fire and the Ya-Na was nowhere to be found. Twenty-eight dead bodies were however found at the palace excluding that of the Ya Na.

Recounting the situation in Yendi as well as the circumstances preceding the carnage, Mr Tijani said, it came to the notice of the District Security Committee (DISEC) on March 23 that there was mounting tension in Yendi due to the impending "Fire Festival" that was to be held from March 24 to 27. There were accusations and counter - accusations from both Andani and Abudu gates that each of them was preparing to attack the other during the Celebration. It was also realised that arms had been distributed to individuals who had hidden them.

A meeting was held during which it was decided that the festival should be banned and a curfew imposed on the town, but permission had to be sought from the Regional Security Committee (REGSEC) for implementation. Mr Tijani said a letter from his office was drafted to that effect and he accordingly went to Tamale the next day to the second in command of Sixth Battalion and the acting regional Police Commander to inform them of the volatile situation in Yendi and gave them copies of the letter.

In view of the absence of both the Regional Minister and his deputy, the regional co-ordinating director took the copies of the letter on their behalf. Mr Tijani said the three officers he met assured him that a prompt action would be taken to save the situation, "so, I returned to Yendi to wait for the response". On March 24, Mr Zibrim, Regional Purchasing Officer, brought a letter to him from the Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Issah Ketekewu that the imposition of the curfew should proceed. Mr Tijani said when the Ya-Na was informed about this development he (Ya-Na) dispatched a team led by one Razak to ascertain its authenticity.

Ya-Na(quote)s delegation, however, rejected the decision by the DISEC, saying there was no way the committee could ban the fire festival. Mr Tijani said when the DISEC meeting asked the delegation to convey the decision to the Ya-Na and wait for further explanation from the DISEC, they said they could not carry that message to the late chief. Despite citing instances that, for the sake of peace, some festivals at a point in time were postponed in the Yendi and Tamale areas, Ya-Na?s delegation did not budge so "we excused them and they left", the DCE said.

Mr Tijani narrated that some leaders of the Abudu Gate understood the DISEC?s decision, agreeing that if it was meant to protect lives and properties, then it could be implemented. He said, the next day, the DISEC met Ya-Na and his elders at the Gbewaa Palace and explained the imposition of the curfew to them. Later in the day when the DISEC met the Regional Minister, Prince Imoro Andani in Yendi to brief him about the situation, he decided to see the Ya-Na alone, the DCE said.

He added that the Minister returned from his meeting with Ya-Na to meet members of the DISEC and announced that the curfew had been cancelled and that the celebration could go on. Mr Tijani said the Minister was told of the fear of members of Abudu Gate that the Ya-Na was planning an attack on them during the festival and that some people had even laid ambush for that operation. But the Minister replied that the Ya-Na had also told him that members of the Abudu Gate had planned an imminent attack on members of the Andani Gate, but both were dismissed as speculations.

The regional Minister later informed the policemen deployed in Yendi that the curfew had been cancelled and that the ban on the festival had also been lifted. He said on Monday March 25, he had a telephone call at his office from someone that there was firing of gunshots around the palaces of the Andani and Abudu gates. ?I therefore, used a bush path to go and inform the army detachment commander and the police divisional commander of the situation. Around 5.30 pm, when we were trying to get the regional minister for re-enforcement of security personnel from Tamale, the telephone lines went off,? he said.

The DCE said on Tuesday March 26, the DISEC held a meeting in his office to adopt a strategy to control the violence but all efforts proved futile as the police reported that they could not open their armoury whilst the army also said only nine military men were in Yendi at the time. The DCE said because he wanted to remain neutral, he took Mr Mustapha Imoru and Mr Hamid Abubakar Usiff from the Andani and Abudu gates respectively as witnesses to inform a meeting of the REGSEC, chaired by the regional minister about the situation in Yendi. Back to Tamale at 6.15 pm on the March 26, the safest place they could go was the police station as there were sporadic shootings from the Gbewaa (Andani) and Mohammed Abudulai?s (Abudu) palaces which are about 200 metres apart.

He said at 8.30 pm the divisional police commander and the district BNI director accompanied him to Captain Akroffi to see if the army could intervene in the situation. Captain Akroffi said there were only 11 soldiers whilst the armoured vehicle was not in good condition. "On the morning of Wednesday March 27, three army officers in a pick up vehicle came to escort my family and I to the barracks where I saw Zibrim from the Ya-Na?s palace with the rescue message."