13 Arrested in connection with murder of Bimbilla chief
Thirteen people have so far been rounded up to assist the police in investigations into the alleged murder of the Paramount Chief of the Nanumba Traditional Area, Naa Dasana Andani.
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A source close to the police in Tamale said the police would not relent until all the people connected with the gruesome murder of the chief and three of his family members at his palace at Bimbilla last Thursday evening had been apprehended.
Currently, all entry and exit points in the Bimbilla area are being monitored by security personnel, who have mounted barriers to track down the perpetrators.
The government has announced a GH¢100,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the arrest of the murderers of Naa Andani and the three others.
The police have assured residents of their safety and impressed on them to volunteer information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of all those behind the attack.
Death toll
Meanwhile, the death toll has increased to five, as one of the victims who was rushed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital has also passed on.
Shock
Four days after the murder of the chief, there is still shock and disbelief among residents of the area, as they ponder on the way forward in the area.
Even though the town looks calm, following the heavy deployment of security personnel in the area, social and business activities have slowed down significantly because of the impact of last Thursday’s incident that has put fear among the residents.
A resident of the area, Mohammed Ibrahim, told the Daily Graphic on Sunday that, “At the moment most people are confused on the way forward because already there were some disagreements over the rightful occupant of the skin.”
He claimed that while some residents recognised Nakpa Naa Salifu Dawuni (now of blessed memory) as the paramount chief of Nanung, others paid allegiance to the murdered Naa Andani as the overlord.
“The Nakpa Na, who died earlier in March this year, is yet to be interred because Naa Andani insisted that the Nakpa Na would not be buried at the Royal Mausoleum, since he was not a recognised Bimbilla Naa.
“But while traditionalists and the authorities were still dealing with the nagging issue, the worst happened last Thursday. Now how do we come out of this difficult situation?” Ibrahim stated.
Attack
The chief was allegedly attacked and murdered, along with three other family members, by yet-to-be-identified assailants.
Four persons, including a baby, who sustained varied degrees of injury in the attack, are responding to treatment at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, where the remains of Naa Andani have been deposited for autopsy.
At a press conference by the family of the Bimbilla Naa in Tamale last Friday, a spokesperson, Dasana Salifu, alleged that the chief had been attacked about 6:30 p.m. when he was praying in the compound of the palace while other worshippers were in the mosque.