Member of Jinapor Gate in Buipe Gone Missing

Bawa Issah

ONE OF the famous members of the Royal Jinapor Gate of the Buipe Chieftaincy divide, C.O. Bawa Issah who became one of the targets for elimination by the Royal Lebu Gate in 2008 has since gone missing.

He is suspected by his mother, Madam Salamatu Jinapor and two other cousins (Mohammed Awal and Aminu Mohammed) to have been either killed or probably crossed the borders of Ghana to an unknown destination for the safety of his life. 

The 32 year old C.O. Bawa Issah who allegedly escaped several mob attacks on his life during the peak of the Buipe Chieftaincy Conflict because his role in protecting other members of the family and also serving as an aide or errand boy alongside one of his uncles, Dramani Abdulai Jinapor a.k.a “Afro” to the Paramount Chief, Abdulai Jinapor II.

According to the family of C.O. Bawa Issah who stormed the Northern Regional Offices of Savannahnews on Saturday 15th September 2012 with so much grief on their faces, Bawa Issah “fled” the Buipe town immediately his closest uncle Dramani Abdulai Jinapor (Afro) was murdered at the Buipe market square. Afro who is a direct brother to the Chief was assigned to lead a team of revenue collectors to collect market tolls when he was ambushed and killed. His death sparked reprisal attacks and tension in the Buipe town forcing women and children to flee the area.

“After they have killed my brother Afro, as if that was not enough, the assailants furiously armed themselves with machetes, stones and guns and came to our house and demanded for the head of my son, C.O. Bawa Issah. Fortunately, he was not in the house at that moment but they did not believe what we were telling them so they broke into the various rooms but when they could not find him they ended up destroying almost everything that they sighted in the house especially in his room. I think some of his friends phoned him and told him about the attack, and he quickly rushed home but I told him it was not safe for him to stay in Buipe for even a second since the mob was all over the place looking for him. So he disguised himself and left the town without knowing where he was going. It is four years now and Buipe is still not calm. I know my son is not safe to come back to Buipe but I just want to hear from him wherever he is, so that I can be certain that he is not dead”, the depressed mother of the missing Bawa Issah narrated in tears.  

She further said that the father of the missing boy, Mr. Bawa Adam was seriously assaulted by the angry mob from the Lebu Gate for not being able to tell the whereabouts of the son, C.O. Bawa Issah. He was rushed to the hospital and was later pronounced dead after the news had gotten to him at the hospital that the son was missing.

The mother pleaded that, if indeed her son (Issah) whom she described as an “active member of the family” was not killed, then he must stay at wherever he was now. She quickly appealed to C.O. Bawa Issah to phone any of the family members or his trusted friends to enable them know about his present condition.

According to Madam Salamatu Jinapor, Buipe was still not safe for her son’s come back. Saying, “The Lebu people will do everything to kill him if they find out that he is in Ghana”. So I don’t think it is safe for him to come home but he should let some of us hear from him”. 

However, one of his cousins, Mohammed Awal told Savannahnews that about a month ago, they received conflicting reports indicating that their brother was in Libya or Italy. Up till now, they are yet to confirm that rumour.

The family therefore appealed to both the Libyan and Italian authorities to assist C.O. Bawa Issah in any way they could (if indeed he is in any of the two countries) since it was not safe for him to stay in Ghana for now. They on the other hand reechoed their plea on Issah to establish immediate contact with them, if indeed he is still alive.

Meanwhile, the Buipe Chieftaincy conflict has been one of the infamous conflicts in Ghana in recent times. Majority of the people especially women and children fled the area to some unknown destinations.  Several houses, stores, vehicles, farms and animals were destroyed by the supporters of both the Jinapor and Lebu gates.

Currently, Buipe is still experiencing some uneasy calm, with armed military cum police team patrolling the town and its surrounding communities day and night to ensure law and order.

But in spite of the heavy security presence, another bloody clash was recorded in Buipe on the 9th of February 2012 during the fire festival between the supporters of Jinapor and Awushie gates which led to the firing of severing guns.

Several people from both sides sustained various degrees of injuries with five of them including the Chief Linguist to Buipewura Jinapor, Malam Seidu, Sulemana Daari, Sampson Deen-Musah, Sayibu Fuseni and one Sulemana, who were in critical conditions and were hospitalized at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

The two rival gates, the Jinapor Gate and the Lebu Gate in the Buipe traditional area have since 2006 been battling each other in court over the rightful successor to the Buipe skin following the death of the late Buipe-wura Chichanko on 17th October 2005.

In September 2006, Abdulai Mahama Jinapor was selected by the late King of Gonjaland, Yagbon-wura Bawa Doshi and his elders, to succeed the late Buipe-wura.

However, the Lebu Gate sought an injunction at the Tamale High Court preventing the Jinapor gate from being enskinned.

According to the Lebu Gate, the selection of Jinapor was illegitimate, because they (Lebu Gate) had the right to occupy the Buipe skin.

But a committee chaired by the Kunbumgu Chief Naa Abu Iddrisu ruled in favour of the Yagbon-wura's nominee, Jinapor Abdulai Mahama as the chief of Buipe traditional area.

The Current King of Gonjaland, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Bore Essa I on 13th May 2010, deskinned Abdulai Jinapor as Chief of Buipe for an alleged gross insubordination and ordered one Bawa Jewu Awushie to replace him as the new chief of the area.

In September 2011, the Tamale High Court Two (2) presided over by Justice Kwame Ansu Gyeabour declared as null and void the de-enskinment of the Buipe Chief, Abdulai Jinapor by the Yagbonwura, the Gonja Traditional Council and the Registrar of the Council. The ruling was subsequently upheld by the judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs.

But the Yagbonwura and the Gonja Traditional Council have since disregarded the court verdict and still maintaining Bawa Jewu Awushie as Chief of Buipe.

Currently, the area is now being ruled by the two parallel Chiefs, Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II and Buipewura Bawa Jewu Awushie, which continues to threaten the peace in the area.