A group calling itself Concerned Dagara Youth in the Lambussie District, has called on state institutions mandated to maintain and promote peace in the country to take urgent steps to resolve a land dispute between the Dagara and Sissala communities in the district.
It said the dispute, which had so far claimed a life, resulted in personal injuries, and destruction of properties, was a source of worry to the peace-loving people in the district and called for it to be addressed before it escalates.
A statement by the group and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa at the weekend said it took cognisance of the critical role of peace in personal and collective development and any act that would jeopardize peace in the area should not be countenanced.
The group said they had petitioned the Minister for the Interior, Inspector General of Police, National Security Coordinator, Commander of the Ghana Armed Forces, Presidents of the National and Regional House of Chiefs, Regional Police Commander, and the La
mbussie Paramount Chief among others on the dispute in the area.
‘Without any shred of doubt, we are committed to peaceful resolution of the dispute and pledge to work with the security agencies and relevant stakeholders in that regard,’ the statement said.
It alleged that the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Mr George Gerard Naluri, had ‘demonstrated bad faith’ in the dispute settlement.
It cited an instance where the DCE ordered the police to arrest some people of Dagara descent for pruning trees on their farmlands to prepare those lands for cultivation.
It alleged that relatives of the arrested individuals were brutalised at the Lambussie district Police station by some youth presumed to be of the Sissala descent when they went to bail their relatives at the Police station.
‘The Nandom Police had to be invited to Lambussie to escort the brutalised and traumatised persons out of Lambussie.
‘This incident was the subject of a petition to the DCE on December 30, 2023. To date, there has been
no feedback from the DCE on the status of the petition.
We have lost confidence in the ability of Mr Naluri to ensure that justice is not only served but is seen to be manifestly served,’ the group said in the statement.
The statement also alleged that some individuals in the Lambussie District were fueling the dispute and stressed the need for prompt and decisive action by the stakeholders to resolve the impasse.
The group raised concerns about several arrests that had been made by the Police and military in the area in relation to the dispute, but no action taken against the suspects as that could perpetuate the dispute.
‘While we have resolved not to initiate any tribal or land dispute with any group, we also bear a natural obligation to protect ourselves and our families and properties.
Consequently, we will defend ourselves against all forms of threats that seek to jeopardise our lives and survival henceforth,’ the group said in the statement.
Meanwhile, Mr Naluri, the DCE for the Lambussie Distric
t, told the GNA in an interview that the District Assembly had enacted byelaws to protect economic trees in the area.
He explained that the two individuals mentioned in the statement were arrested because they contravened the byelaws by cutting shea and dawadawa trees.
Mr Naluri said he was working hard as the District Security Council (DISEC) Chairman to resolve the dispute and would not take sides in the dispute settlement process.
Source: Ghana News Agency