Hohoe Zongo Chiefs Tour Togbega Gabusu’s Palace

Leaders of the various groupings constituting the Hohoe Zongo have toured the town to assess the destruction left by the recent clashes between the indigenes and some youth of the Zongo.

This was at the invitation of the Hohoe Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) and the operation commanders of the Police and the Military.

Dr. Margaret Kweku, Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, said the exercise would open avenues for them to quantify the extent of damage and be a reference point for commencement of peace building and co-existence.

She said lots of strategies and interventions are being considered and she believed that the exercise would be a threshold for the demonstration of remorse and apologies to appease aggrieved hearts.

Dr. Kweku said the situation had become a drain on the Assembly’s purse, adding, “It is my wish that a rapid settlement would be anchored to allow those who are constrained to bounce back.”

On the allegation of marginalization of the majority Gbi group, she said intelligence reports warned of chaos when last Saturday’s procession was allowed.

Dr. Kweku said, “We would continue to build bridges and not collapse them. The peace of the area is paramount. I urge all stakeholders to give peace a chance.”

Mr. Alhassan Ibn Battuta, spokesman for the Zongo group, thanked the government, the security apparatus and other stakeholders for their efforts towards peace; re-assuring that the entire Zongo Community was committed to peace.

“We have regretted the impasse and never will it occur again even under provocative circumstances,” he said.

In attendance were Alhaji Tarjudeen Merigah, Hohoe Sarkin Zongo, Abdul Karim Salihu, Kotokoli Chief, Misbao Awudu, Zambrama Chief and the Dagomba Chief.

The entourage toured the burnt palace of Togbega Gabusu VI, Paramount Chief of Gbi Traditional Area, the Hohoe Government Hospital and the shops and stalls that were burnt down.

Violence broke out on June 11 when some youth of the Zongo Community found the exhumed body of the local chief Imam at the roadside at the outskirt of the town after his burial the previous day.

He was reportedly buried in defiance of a ban on the burial of members of the Zongo Community on Gbi land.

The traditional authorities of Gbi imposed the ban after some Zongo youth vandalised the Hohoe Government Hospital and attacked some of its staff, alleging that their negligence had led to the death of a colleague.

The town is still under curfew with heavy security presence.**