This recommendation marks the final, non-negotiable advice to President John Dramani Mahama on the decades-long conflict between the Mamprisis and Kusasis, which has claimed numerous lives and hindered development in Bawku.

The recommendation was formally presented today at the Jubilee House in Accra, concluding the high-profile mediation effort initiated by the presidency to address the deadly dispute between the two factions.

Laws of the Land Are Supreme

In delivering the committee’s report, the Asantehene anchored his ultimate recommendation not only on traditional diplomacy but also on the Constitution of Ghana and the Supreme Court’s final judicial determination of the matter.

This legal position upholds the status quo established by the Restoration of Status of Chiefs Law 75 (1983) and consolidated by the Supreme Court in 2003.

Addressing the President and his delegation, the Asantehene emphasised that no traditional leader, regardless of status, is above the law.

“We chiefs, no matter how exalted, do not live above the Constitution of Ghana and the laws duly enacted and affirmed by the courts,” he stated.

He also called upon Naa Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, the Nayiri of Mamprugu, who has recently attempted to install a rival chief in Bawku, to accept the legal reality.

“The final recommendation, Mr President, is that my brother, the Nayiri, accept the laws as presently constituted, recognising Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the Chief of Bawku and head of the Kusasi Traditional Area,” he added.

Government’s Mandate: Enforcement and Stability

The committee’s report places the ultimate responsibility for peace squarely on the Executive, calling for immediate and firm action against anyone challenging the legally recognised authority of Naba Azoka II.

This, the Asantehene stressed, is critical to halting the cycle of violence that has plagued the Upper East Region, claiming hundreds of lives since late 2021.

The Asantehene left no room for ambiguity or political equivocation:

“Accordingly, the laws which recognised Asigri Abugrago Azoka II must be enforced by the government of the Republic of Ghana until changed in accordance with the 1992 Constitution or reviewed by the Supreme Court of Ghana.”

He emphasised that swift enforcement of the law is the only path to lasting de-escalation.

The conflict, rooted in colonial-era policies that sought to impose the Mamprugu chieftaincy over the indigenous Kusasi of Bawku, has seen its legal status shift with successive political regimes. However, the Supreme Court’s final ruling in 2003 affirmed the legitimacy of Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, a decision binding on all citizens, including traditional leaders.

The committee affirmed that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azorka II is the constitutionally recognised and legitimate Paramount Chief of the Kusasi Traditional Areas and Bawku in the Upper East Region.

It further recommended the arrest of individuals presenting themselves as rival traditional rulers, stressing that such actions are necessary to uphold the authority and legitimacy of the recognised chief.

The mediation committee was established by the previous government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to help halt persistent violence, insecurity, and destruction of property in the Bawku area.

Speaking on the process, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said both parties had agreed to and committed themselves to the peace process. He added that the successful implementation of the committee’s recommendations now rests with the President.

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To him, the government’s arrest directive of participants in the Naba’s enskinment is a step in the right direction.

“The law is very clear that you cannot have two paramount chiefs in one community. If you go contrary to that and decide to enstool another chief then the law states that you are arrested for breaching the peace in that community,” he said.

*Anyone who does not agree has the right to seek redress on the case that the person who’s been gazetted as chief is not worthy to be one for further investigations,” he said on Accra-based Neat FM. 

A statement issued by the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said the only recognised overlord of Bawku is Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II.

The government reiterated that Naba Azoka II was not only duly gazetted but a member of the National and Upper East Regional Houses of Chiefs.

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Since last year, renewed chieftaincy clashes at Bawku have resulted in a number of casualties.

Despite series of engagements between feuding parties and government delegations to promote peace in the area, the conflict persists.