Reject the unlawful demands made by the Kusaasi- Mamprugu youth

Esteemed members of the press, fellow Ghanaians, and all dedicated stakeholders committed to peace and order in Bawku:

We of the Mamprugu Youth Association (MAYA) address you today with profound concern for the rapidly deteriorating/escalating security situation in Bawku and its surrounding areas. This crisis affects not only the lives and livelihoods of our people but also threatens the very fabric of our national unity, national security, and the promising mediation efforts led by His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene.

Bawku, historically a vibrant hub of coexistence and commerce anchored by its central market established in 1858, has long symbolized our interconnectedness, drawing together diverse ethnic groups and fostering trade across our borders with Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger. The unilateral establishment of a parallel market by a segment of the Kusasi community following the regrettable resurgence of violence in 2021, citing unfounded claims of insecurity in the Mamprusi-dominated central market, has unfortunately introduced grave security challenges.

While we recognize the inherent right of every community to pursue its economic activities in safety, the consequences arising from the creation of this parallel market have been deeply troubling. Elements within the Kusasi youth have, with gross impunity, engaged in acts of intimidation and coercion, with intent to deny access to the Kusasi market to individuals they wrongly perceive as Mamprusis or their allies. Indeed, the tragic killing of a six-month-old Busanga baby whose grandmother went with her to the Kusasi market to purchase vegetables underscores the climate of hostility that has festered for a long time around the Kusasi market.

Disturbingly, this aggression has extended beyond ethnic profiling to levels that can best be described as domestic terrorism. These same Kusasi youth have forcibly prevented their own Kusasi kin, members of other ethnic groups, and international traders, particularly from Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo, from accessing the established Bawku central market which provides revenue to the state. These blatant acts of economic blockade and ethnic targeting, often occurring in plain sight of law enforcement officers along critical routes like the Bawku-Bolga-Pulimakom and Bawku-Kulungungu international roads, paints a disturbing picture of a breakdown in law and order and public safety.

If the intent were solely to create a separate space for commerce, it would be a matter of communal choice. However, the forceful redirection by Kusasi youth of traffic destined for the Bawku central market and the subsequent targeting of those who patronize it, even under armed military escort, are unequivocally criminal acts of banditry and terrorism.

Attempts by the Ghana Police Service to restore order and ensure freedom of movement along the Bawku – Bolga – Pulmakom international road by preventing attacks and harassment of innocent citizens have been met with violent resistance by the Kusasi youth, tragically resulting in the loss of life. The subsequent coordinated armed attacks by Kusasi youth on multiple police installations – including the burning down of the residence of the Divisional Police Commander, sections of the Bawku Police Barracks, the Binduri Police Post, and the attacks on Pusiga Police Station, as well as the residences of Honourable Members of Parliament, Hon. Mahama Ayariga and Hon. Laadi Ayamba – leading to injuries to police and immigration officers and extensive damage to public infrastructure, are acts that demand the strongest condemnation. Unfortunately, we are yet to see a single condemnation of these acts of terrorism from the Kusasi leadership and their political class like Hon Ayariga, Hon Avoka and the rest of the Members of Parliament in the Bawku area.

Following the above violent acts of domestic terrorism by the Kusasi youth, the Inspector General of Police visited Bawku and in what can best be described as bizaare, apologized to the Kusasis, the same people who attacked and vandalized several police and state installations. Furthermore, he refused to visit the Mamprusis who are a key stakeholder. This biased conduct of the IGP and the cowardly unprofessional conduct of apologizing to criminals emboldened the Kusasi youth to perpetuate more crime. They went on rampage attacking and killing innocent Mamprusis in the Binduri district. Their ungodly criminal activities climaxed on the afternoon of April 13, 2025 when they ambushed and killed two police officers in the Binduri district. The mark of a good leader is having the best interest of the people he leads. But to throw the sacrifices of the men in uniform to the dogs just to appease what the formal police SITREPS describe as kusasi banditry, smirks of incompetence and professional negligence. Indeed, we are reliably informed that almost all the policemen stationed at districts like Binduri, and Pusiga have all been recalled to the Divisional police command in Bawku Municipal because of threats by the Kusasi youth emboldened by the pleas of the IGP. We have sighted a police memo from the Upper East Regional Police Command issuing a ban on the movement of police personnel to Bawku. This development paints a bleak outlook of the security of the area. We extend our deepest sympathies to the affected injured officers and wish them a swift recovery. We also send our deepest condolences to the government and families of the deceased police officers.

We commend His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama for his forthright description of these actions as “criminal vandalism of [state] property.” It is our considered view that the Kusasi youth were emboldened by the unfortunate apology issued by the IGP. We urge the Police and all security agencies to heed this clear directive from the President and ensure that the perpetrators of all these dastardly acts face the full force of the law. The President’s candid assessment offers a vital clarity in a situation too often obscured by silence and attempts at political manipulations/correctness.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, these events have regrettably led to the suspension of armed security escorts on the vital Bawku-Bolgatanga highway, a critical international trade route linking Ghana with Burkina Faso and Togo. The ensuing disruption has stranded commuters and goods, paralyzed economic activity, and risks damaging Ghana’s regional and diplomatic trade relationships. Also, the actions of the Kusasis have directly being aimed at making public institutions like the Bawku Presby Hospital, Bawku Presby Nurses and Midwifery College, Ghana Commercial Bank and Agricultural Development Bank dysfuntional and permanently closed. Just like the Bawku Central Market, the Kusasis say all these critical state infrastructure are located within the territory of the Mamprusis, hence their untiring and determined efforts to render these state institutions permanently closed. Their actions are akin to the Biblical story of dividing the baby into two which ultimately leads to the death of the baby. We therefore urge the state to act with urgency to restore the functioning of roads and these critical state infrastructure. The state cannot sit idly and watch these errant kusasi youth spit in the face of law and order threatening lives and properties.

In addition, against the backdrop of the escalating chaos, we find it utterly unacceptable, that certain Kusasi groups have, with impunity, still sought to exploit the situation, even after all their acts of terror, by issuing an ultimatum during the Inspector-General of Police’s visit, demanding the arrest of Bawku Naba, Naa Sheriga Alhaji Seidu Abagre. For the sake of clarity, Naa Sheriga is the respected Chief of Bawku duly enskinned by His Royal Majesty the Nayiri, Naa Bohaga Mahami Abdulai Sheriga. HRM the Nayiri has been the legitimate kingmaker and enskinning authority of the Bawku skins since 1721, and overlord of the entire Bawku area since the 1200/1300s since the demise of Naa Gbewaa. Naa Sheriga is the 15^th Bawku Naba the Nayiri has enskinned.

It is evident that the kusasi youth thrive in banditry and seek to blackmail the government by first engaging in lawless acts with impunity and then making such outrageous and baseless demands. The preceding acts of violence, the destruction of police installations and the murder of the two Police Officers are undoubtedly a calculated precursor to this untenable demand for the arrest of Naa Sherigu Alhaji Seidu Abagre.

It must be made unequivocally and abundantly clear that the demand for the arrest of Bawku Naa Sheriga Alhaji Seidu Abagre is unfounded, illegal, and a deliberate attempt to incite further unrest. Bawku Naa Sheriga Alhaji Seidu Abagre is an indigene of Bawku, born and raised in this land, as were his father, grandfather, and all his ancestors, with a lineage rooted in Bawku since the establishment of the town. Bawku was founded by Naa Sheriga’s forefathers and any call for his removal or arrest is not only a grave injustice and a violation of his fundamental human rights but a dangerous attempt to exile a man from his ancestral home.

Furthermore, this matter is not subject to public opinion or tribal sentiment; it is a matter of settled law. Naa Sheriga was previously the subject of an arrest warrant, which he rightfully challenged through the established legal channels, ultimately securing a unanimous ruling in his favor from the Court of Appeal, declaring the warrant illegal. That decision stands as binding law. Any attempt by the police or government to act upon this discredited warrant would constitute a gross injustice and a direct assault on the rule of law.

What is particularly troubling is that this demand comes at a critical juncture when mediation efforts are underway – a process that demands sincerity, restraint, and mutual trust. This ultimatum from the Kusasi faction is a clear affront to this process, revealing a lack of commitment to peace and instead signaling a strategy of ethnic exclusion and provocation. It is a direct violation of the admonition of the Asantehene, who has called for cessation of hostilities as he navigates the path towards finding lasting peace. While Mamprusis have not acted in contravention of this admonition, the Kusasis have engaged in various acts of violence and banditry against innocent people in Binduri and Gumyoko, killing over 14 Mamprusis in the process.

Therefore, we, the Mamprugu Youth Association, posit as follows:

We reject outright any call to arrest Naa Sheriga Alhaji Seidu Abagre, which would amount to an egregious injustice, contempt of the Courts/a violation of binding court rulings, and a breach of his fundamental human rights.
We call on the media and all stakeholders to desist from lumping all Bawku youth in these acts of terrorism committed by the Kusasi youth. The facts show that it is the Kusasi youth who are engaged in these acts of violence against the state and they have actually publicly accepted this fact.
We call upon the Government and the Ghana Police Service to steadfastly uphold the rule of law and not yield to threats and unlawful demands emanating from any quarter.
We humbly implore His Majesty Otumfuo Asantehene Osei Tutu II, the esteemed mediator, to take due note of this escalating pattern of aggression and bad faith from the Kusasis, which continues to undermine the prospects for a smooth mediation and a peaceful resolution.
We demand the immediate resumption of armed escorts on the Bawku-Bolgatanga-Pulmakom and Bawku-Kulungungu highways to restore the free movement of people and goods and to safeguard livelihoods that are currently under severe threat.
We call on all citizens to stand firm against intimidation and ethnic profiling and to defend the fundamental principles of justice and peaceful coexistence that are the bedrock of our nation.
We urge the Government to remain impartial in the Bawku chieftaincy conflict and to refrain from any action that could compromise the delicate peace process. This is fundamentally a chieftaincy issue, and the ongoing mediation led by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II must be allowed to proceed without any external interference. Any attempt by the State to take sides or act outside the agreed framework risks exacerbating the crisis and eroding trust among all parties.
We call on State actors, and most recently the Police, to desist from paying attention to only one party of the conflict – specifically the Kusasis – and kowtowing to their every demand. This is a dangerous precedence and must be stopped.
We view the conduct of the IGP before the Kusasi in Bawku as a grave error in judgement and exposes the ill advice he might have received prior to his visit to Bawku. His apology severely erodes the confidence of the men in uniform in the Bawku area thereby exposing them to further attacks. It is akin to rewarding lawlessness and banditry to the neglect of the men and women who have left the comfort of their families and are serving to protect life and property in our dear nation. The IGP must step aside to cleanse the image of the service he has so soiled to assure these young officers that their lives matter.

We, the Mamprugu Youth, are sending a clear and resolute message to the Government and the wider public. We have consistently heeded the wise counsel of our King, the Nayiri, who has tirelessly advocated for peaceful coexistence and urged restraint in the face of provocation. However, it has become increasingly apparent that past and present administrations have inadvertently incentivized disruptive behavior by seemingly prioritizing the interests of one group over the principles of truth and justice. We will not stand idly by while a group with no legitimate claim attempts to destabilize our community and impede progress. The leadership of the Mamprugu Youth is finding it increasingly challenging to restrain our members, who are understandably growing restless and prepared to defend their heritage and their people within the confines of the law.

Our allegiance to the Nayiri and Bawku Naa Sheriga is unwavering. Any attempt to remove Naa Sheriga, as wrongly advocated by the Kusasis, or any action that seeks to undermine the authority of the Nayiri, will be met with the full and unified resolve of the Mamprugu Youth. Our commitment is absolute, and our patience should not be mistaken for weakness.

The majority of the youth of Bawku, namely the Mamprusis and our allies, possess the inherent capacity to defend our selves against such acts of banditry by the Kusasi youth who have not spared state security personnel. However, our respect for law and order remains paramount in our engagement with security agencies. We therefore urge law enforcement to be firm and decisive in their approach to maintaining peace within the Bawku Traditional Area, ensuring that no individual or group is treated as being above the law.

Let us all remember that lasting peace is not forged through intimidation, and justice must be applied equitably. The Mamprugu Youth Association remains committed to peace, but that peace must be built upon a foundation of truth, justice, and the unhindered freedom for all people to engage in commerce and community life without fear or coercion.

Thank you and

May God bless His Royal Majesty Nayiri Naa Bohaga Mahami Abdulai Sheriga,

May God bless Naa Sheriga Alhaji Seidu Abagre,

May God bless Bawku,

May God bless Mamprugu, and may God bless our cherished nation, Ghana.