Family of Late Former Sawla-Tuna-Kalba MP Appeals to Mahama Over GH¢944K Demand Blocking His Burial
- The family of the late former Sawla-Tuna-Kalba MP has appealed to President John Mahama for intervention in a burial dispute
- The Chief of Tuna is demanding GH¢944,955 before allowing the burial of the late legislator, Joseph Trumah Bayel
- Joseph Trumah Bayell passed away on August 18, 2025, in Sawla in the Savannah Region after a short illness
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The family of the late former Sawla-Tuna-Kalba MP, Joseph Trumah Bayel, has appealed to President John Mahama to intervene in a dispute blocking his burial.
Joy News reported that his family says the Chief of Tuna, Tunawura Daniel Mahama Amantana, is demanding payment of GH¢944,955 for court costs in a long-running court dispute before a burial can take place.
Source: Facebook
The appeal was made during a press conference at Dakompilayir, the late MP’s hometown, a suburb of Tuna in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District.
Family spokesperson and Dakompilayir branch chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Atluor Issahaku, said the family was relying on the longstanding relationship between the late MP and Mahama to help resolve the matter peacefully.
“We as a family remember, are aware of the friendship between the two of you to the extent that when his [late MP’s] mother died, you [President] attended her funeral to console your friend.
“We, the family and elders of Dakompilayiri, need you to complete your love for our brother, father and late MP by settling the dust preventing his peaceful burial.”
The Chief of Tuna, Tunawura Daniel Mahama Amantana, confirmed the GH¢944,955 demand to Joy News.
“So, when I became the chief here, I inherited the skin with the problem the late MP had with my predecessor, which ended in court in Wa.”
Bayel passed away on August 18, 2025, in Sawla in the Savannah Region after a short illness. He entered Parliament in 1993 on the NDC's ticket and served until 2005.
Parliament shared a statement on Facebook when his family officially informed Parliament of his passing.
Background to the Dispute
According to the family, the late Bayel purchased a two-acre parcel of land in the early 1990s, developed it with a residential building, planted mango and orange trees, and drilled a borehole, all of which were protected by an iron fence.
However, in 2020, the then Chief of Tuna, the late Isaac Dramani, who was later elevated to the Mandari skin, allegedly ordered the destruction of the fence and other property on the land.
The family rejected claims that the late MP had encouraged his kinsmen to withhold farm produce from chiefs, describing such accusations as false.
The Herald reported that Bayel subsequently sued the assigns of the late chief at the Wa High Court.
According to the family, during proceedings, the late Chief Dramani admitted to ordering the destruction. The case remains pending, although both principal parties are now deceased.
Source: YEN.com.gh
