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| Wungu Naba |
The Paramount
Chief of the Wungu Traditional Area Wungu Naba Alhaji Saaka Sulemana, is reported
to have banished one Fuseini Bawa and his entire household of 23 from their residence
at Kukuazugu, a suburb of Walewale in the West Mamprusi District of the
Northern Region.
The
chief has also seized the house of Fuseini including four other uncompleted
houses and two boutiques belonging to two Fuseini's wives.
This development comes on the heels of several allegations
being leveled against the Wungu Naba in recent times. He is accused by some
citizens of the area for always using his children to bully and beat up anyone
who opposes his autocratic style of leadership.
For instance, on March 10, 2013, two sons of the Wungu
Naba reportedly beat up one Issifu Sulemana, a development worker in the
presence of the Walewale police for arresting a Fulani man who unknown to the
latter was working for the former.
The herdsman, according to Issifu who spoke to Savannahnews, had allowed cattle to destroy a forest plantation
established with the support of the same chief to combat environmental
degradation in his area but who later turned around to kick against the entire project
for personal reasons.
Also, the Wungu Naba is alleged to have been sitting on
criminal cases brought before him and taking arbitrary decisions to the
displeasure of complainants most of the time.
Why Fuseini
has been banished
Speaking to Savannahnews via phone from a hideout,
Fuseini confirmed that his two wives, eight children as well as other family
members have been banished from Walewale, an area under the Wungu Traditional
Area, following his decision to go to court over a disagreement he had with the
Wungu Naba.
He explained that, there was a disagreement over the
distribution of a number of cattle left in the care of a Fulani herdsman called
Amadu Braimah by several individuals after the Fulani man reportedly relocated
to an unknown place.
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| Fuseini Bawa |
The attention of the Wungu Naba, Fuseini said, was
therefore drawn to a kraal of 115 cattle left behind by Amadu and he decided to
seize them. Fuseini said: “I had a total of 26 cattle with Amadu but the Wungu Naba decided not to give me even a
single calf”.
Speaking through an interpreter in his native Mampruli language,
he added “I felt being cheated unfairly in the face of natural justice and therefore,
I decided to seek legal redress to enable me get back my lifetime investment”.
However, the decision by Fuseini to sue the Wungu Naba,
this blogger gathered, did not entirely go down well with him as he questioned
why the former will go to court over a spotless decision he (Wungu Naba) took. Feeling
disrespected by Fuseini, the chief invoked a Stone Age punishment which
involves banishing the former and his entire family from the town.
Savannahnews gathered that, a taskforce led by one Chief Dan who
is also a Registrar of Bolgatanga Polytechnic, a son of the Chief Imam of
Walewale as well as Alhaji Abuba and Kosobe-Dana (both sons of Wungu Naba)
stormed Kukuazugu on the night of December 24, 2013 and forcefully ejected Fuseini’s
family from
their home.
Fuseini’s wives, recalled that, an emissary sent by
the Wungu chief led by Chief Dan came to their house and enquired of the
whereabouts of their husband. However, they replied: “Our husband a few days
ago heard that the Wungu Naba had banished him from the town and so, he decided
to leave without informing us where he was going.”
In a vivid account to this blogger, they said they were ejected
from their home in the absence of their husband. “We had no place to go rather
than spending the night in the bush with our children”.
In a sharp response, Sadia, first wife of Fuseini,
noted that one of those sent by the chief said: “It’s not only your husband who
has been asked to leave this town…. you’re also included…..everybody in this
house is leaving”.
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| Faida (L) and Sadia (R), wives of Fuseini |
The second wife, Faida, also told this blogger that
she had to endure the cold harmattan night by sleeping in the bush with her one
year old baby till the following day. No one, she said in sobs, “came to our
aid”.
Reaction
From Chief Dan
When contacted, Chief Dan flatly denied that he led a
taskforce that was sent by the Wungu Naba to eject Fuseini and his family from
their home at Kukuazugu on the eve of Christmas.
Although he admitted the banishment incident took
place, Chief Dan said he was in Bolgatanga at the time it happened and
therefore, if anyone said he led any taskforce to eject Fuseini and his family
from their home, it is a lie.
Reaction
From Wungu Naba
The Spokesperson to the Wungu Naba, Kusob Baba, when
contacted by Savannahnews, also declined to comment, except to say
that, the matter has been referred to the Nayiri (King of the Mamprugu Kingdom)
for redress.
Meanwhile, at the time of going to press, Fuseini told
this reporter in a telephone chat that his entire family has since defied the
chief’s order of leaving the town and reoccupied the house from which they were
thrown out.
According to him, his wives, children and other family
members, however, have been informed by the subjects of the Wungu Naba that they
will be treated in a much inhumane manner on their return next time.
Also, the other four uncompleted houses and the two
boutiques which served as source of income to the family aside the cattle
business he is doing, are still under lock and key by the Wungu Naba, Fuseini
disclosed. “I cannot go back to the house because my wives said it’s not
advisable I come home….they fear for my life. I am running and hiding. My family
are hungry…hunger is killing them because their shops have been seized by the
Wungu Naba. Please my brother, do what you can do so that I can get help for my
wives and little children”, he said in a sad tone.
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