Humado expresses disquiet over Anlo chieftaincy dispute

Page 14, April 12, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Anlo, Mr Clement Kofi Humado, has expressed disquiet over what he termed the “seeming inaction” of the government over the recent Anlo chieftaincy dispute.
He said it was unfortunate that months after the crisis, which resulted in the death of five people, the government was yet to respond to the request of the people of the area to set up a commission of enquiry to look into the matter.
The MP told the Daily Graphic in Accra that family members of the deceased and the entire people of the area were worried about the government’s long silence and called for an immediate action to calm their nerves.
“I was of the opinion that after I had made a number of statements on the floor of Parliament, in addition to the numerous calls from chiefs and opinion leaders of Anlo, the government will heed our plea and institute a probe into the chieftaincy dispute,” he said.
The four people who died during the dispute were Israel Amenume, 50, Menko Tugba, 47, Israel Ahadzi, 28, and Mama Senyo, 48.
Mr Humado said the four died defending the pride and heritage of Anlo and it was for that sacrifice that the chiefs, clan heads, elders and the entire Anlo State had decided to honour them with a grand state burial.
He said preparations were underway for the burial and final funeral rites of four of the deceased, including a fetish priestess, at Anloga on Saturday, April 12, 2008.
“We have expected that the government would do something before the burial of the deceased,” he said, adding, “But we have no option but to go on with the funeral rites without waiting for an action to be taken by the government.”
Mr Humado stated that it would be easier for the government to take action now so that a lasting solution would be found to the dispute, instead of waiting for the dispute to recur.
Already, one of the five deceased, a policeman, had been buried in his home town in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Mr Humado conveyed his condolence to the families of the deceased.