Ya-Na wanted to get Bolin-Lana assassinated

Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, Paramount Chief of Dagbon Traditional Area, allegedly brought in warriors from Tamale to Yendi to ensure the assassination of the Bolin-Lana, the Head of the Abudu Gate, a witness told the Wuaku Commission probing the Yendi tragedy on Friday.

Madam Zenaibu Abukari, a Tomato Seller in Yendi and the 15th witness to testify at the Commission's sitting at Sunyani, spoke in Dagbani and was translated into the English Language by an interpreter. She said members of the Abudu family were also to be annihilated according to the plan.

Led in evidence by Mr George Owoo, a retired Chief State Attorney and Counsel for the Commission, Madam Abukari narrated what she knew about the tragedy from the 24 to 27 March.

She said on 24 Sunday March, one of the Ya Na's three wives, whose name she could only give as "Litogo", came to buy 10,000 cedis worth of tomatoes from her in a house near the Gbewaa Palace.

Madam Zenaibu said in a chat, the Chief's wife declared the intention of members of the Andani Gate not to allow the imposition of a curfew by the Yendi District Security Committee (DISEC) in Yendi. According to her the chief's wife told her that even if the Ya-Na accepted the imposition of the curfew, they (other members of the Andani Gate) would not agree to it.

Witness said the wife quoted the Ya-Na as having said that if Yendi did not turn into Osama Bin Ladin's Afghanistan, then he could not be called the son of his mother.

She said the woman came again on the morning of Monday to purchase 20,000 cedis worth of tomatoes and informed her that Lawyer Ibrahim Mahama had telephoned the chief, from Tamale that he was sending some fighters to Ya-Na from Tamale.

Madam Zenaibu said when the King's wife left a man came from the Palace to buy 1,000 cedis worth of iced-water from her. When I asked this man the cause of a loud laughter by a crowd at the palace, he replied that the warriors, who had arrived, had given the Ya-Na the assurance that they would go and cut off the Bolin-Lana's head and bring it to him, she said.

Witness said the man advised her to flee with her dependants to safety. Not long after she heard the continuous sound of gunshots from the palace, she said. Madam Zenaibu added that all the fighters slept in front of the palace on Monday till Tuesday morning when they went into the palace to eat.

When asked by Counsel if she heard anything about the Ya-Na on Wednesday,

27 March, she replied in the negative. In an answer to a question by Mr Owoo if she believed what the man, who bought the iced-water told her, she answer in the affirmative.

The Chief Linguist of the Abudu Gate, Iddrisu Iddi, who testified earlier as a witness had also said that the Ya-Na brought warriors from Tamale and stationed them at his palace.

He said they (warriors) fired sporadically from the palace. When counsel asked if he saw the warriors, witness replied in the negative, saying that it was some members of the Abudu Gate who told him so. Na Iddi explained that though he did not believe it, he became convinced when firing started from the palace.

When counsel asked what happened at Yendi in the course of preparing to celebrate the fire festival, he alleged that the Ya-Na had said he would not allow the Abudu Gate to celebrate the festival.

"What I heard was that the Ya-Na had said if we (Abudus) were preparing to celebrate the "Bugum (Fire) festival unlike the Eid-Ul-Adha that he (Ya-Na) allowed us to observe, this time, they (Andanis) would carry out bodies because they would not forgive us".

Witness told the Commission that hearing the intention of the Andanis to attack them, he summoned the elders of the Abudu Gate to inform the District

Security Council (DISEC) about this development at the Divisional Police

Headquarters.

"We told the DISEC at the meeting that, since they were the government's representatives in the District, they should also investigate the allegation", he said. Chief Linguist Iddi alleged that the firing by the warriors in the Ya-Na's palace was directed at their (Abudus') houses.

When Counsel asked if on the Wednesday morning he heard of the Ya-Na, Iddi who gave his age as about 70 said, "I only heard that the Ya-Na had travelled to Tamale through a Radio Savannah announcement by Lawyer Ibrahim Mahama". (Radio

Savannah is a Ghana Broadcasting Corporation FM radio station in Tamale).

At this juncture Mr Justice Isaac Newton Wuaku, Commission Chairman, asked if the Abudu's fired back when the Andanis were firing from the Ya-Na's palace to which witness replied that they fired back on the Monday.

Asked about the number of Abudus, who were killed during the exchange of fire, witness said that only two persons - Mahama and Isahaku- were those he knew died.

He added that one Iddi, who also sustained gunshot wounds during the hostilities, later died at the Yendi hospital. Asked by the Chairman about the registration number of the vehicle that conveyed the warriors to the Ya-Na's palace, Linguist Iddi said he could not tell.

Counsel, however, pointed out to him that in his (witness) statement to the

Police, he gave the registration number of the vehicle, as AS 9694 C.Other witnesses who also appeared before the Commission were Mahamadu Zibrim, a farmer, Abdulai Iddiris, regent of Zehi, Madam Amaama Abdulai, a kenkey seller and 25-year-old Zibrilla Mahama, a farmer, all of Yendi.

The Commission adjourned sitting till Tuesday 11 June. Later, Counsel told the press that, all the six witnesses were from the Abudu Gate. He explained that they were given the chance to give evidence because a witness from the Andani Gate, who was expected to appear before the Commission, had not arrived in Sunyani.

Mr Owoo explained, however, that, the witnesses were not being called according to a specific order but rather based on whoever was available.