Disputed Chief and Son Shot Dead in Gushegu Amid 4-Year Chieftaincy Row

• A disputed chief of Yiidana and his son were killed by gunmen who attacked their family home around midnight in the Gushegu Municipality
• The killings are tied to a chieftaincy dispute between the Paboni community and the Zantali-Lana traditional authority that began nearly four years ago
• Security forces have been deployed to Yiidana as residents flee amid fears of retaliatory attacks between the two rival families

A disputed chief of Yiidana and his son have been killed after three gunmen stormed their family home in the Gushegu Municipality of Ghana's Northern Region in the early hours of Thursday, escalating a chieftaincy conflict that has simmered for close to four years.

Gushegu Municipal Chief Executive Abdul Hafiz Adam confirmed both deaths, saying gunmen arrived at the chief's residence at around midnight.

"Three gunmen, as we are told, went to the house and shot him and his son. So, both of them have died, and we can confirm their deaths for now," he said.

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The violence stems from a prolonged disagreement over who holds the authority to enskin a chief for the Yiidana community.

Adam said the conflict first flared approximately four years ago when the Zantali-Lana sought to install a chief for the area, drawing objections from residents of the neighbouring Paboni community who contested that authority.

The matter was referred to the Yaa Naa's palace in Yendi, which ruled in favour of the Zantali-Lana. Despite that ruling, the dispute persisted. Earlier clashes between the two communities resulted in property destruction, and Yiidana was advised to pursue compensation through the courts.

Tensions escalated again when the Zantali-Lana moved to proceed with the enskinment. The chief with jurisdiction over Paboni later clarified that Yiidana did not fall under Paboni's domain, effectively clearing the way for the ceremony to go ahead.

Residents of Paboni reportedly attempted to disrupt the proceedings, but the enskinment was completed. Given the security climate at the time, the newly enskinned chief was initially relocated outside Yiidana.

Family Ignored Security Council's Warning

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About a month ago, the chief's family informed local security authorities of plans to return him to the community.

The Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) urged the family to allow time for a proper security assessment before any relocation.

"We, as MUSEC, requested that we should be given time to go into the matter and be able to establish that there will be enough security for the chief in the community before he relocates back to the community," Mr Adam said. "But the family failed to listen to us. They insisted that they had already sent the chief to the Yiidana community."

He said local authorities ultimately permitted the return on condition that calm was maintained. That condition, he noted, was broken by Thursday night's attack.

Security Deployed as Residents Flee

Police and military personnel have since been deployed to Yiidana. Mr Adam said the scene was calm at the time of his statement, with no further gunfire reported.

The bodies of the chief and his son remained in the community pending decisions by MUSEC and the Regional Security Council on burial arrangements.

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He said he was awaiting the arrival of the Northern Regional Minister and the Regional Security Council from Tamale to assess the situation. Despite the surface calm, many residents of Yiidana and surrounding communities had abandoned their homes over fears of retaliatory violence between the two families.

Source: YEN.com.gh