Sissala West DCE Exiled, Life Under Threat

Mr Moses Dramani Luri, Sissala West District Chief Executive (DCE), has been exiled, while his life is under a serious threat. Mr Luri is now currently performing his official duties outside the district, because he has, since October 23, been unlawfully denied access to his office by some unscrupulous youth who call themselves concerned youth of the district. On October 27, the DCE was nearly lynched by such gangsters, when he sneaked into the district and attempted to go to his office to perform official duties. The timely intervention of the police spared him his life, but his official vehicle was seized on that occasion by the rampaging youth, Ghana News Agency investigations have revealed. The Regional Security Council, upon getting to know about the issue, quickly held a meeting in the district, after which the DCE�s vehicle was returned to him in Tumu, and the issuance of a verbal warning to the youth. That, however, did not deter them from holding on to their diabolic agenda of exiling the DCE in order to achieve their interest. GNA also learnt that those hooligans led by Shaibu Moro, had been going round the Gwollu township, wielding cudgels, and openly pronouncing that, he and his group had ousted the DCE, and that if he dared set his feet in Gwollu, he would lose his life. The action of the gangsters is believed by many people in and outside the district to have a strong political backing; a situation that is making it difficult for the police to take a swift action against such a lawless youth. Mr Ali Guguo, Sissala West Constituency Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the whole issue started as a demonstration, and later turned into a life-threatening matter. �Even we the party executives, our lives are equally in danger by the actions of the so-called concerned youth. We have therefore resolved to hold our meetings outside the district to avoid attacks,� he stated. �This is just a parochial, selfish and self-centered profiteering group of youth who are trying to make the district uncontrollable and ungovernable,� he said. �Our party chairman, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, came to the region and wanted to meet us in Gwollu on Monday, but because of the security situation we rather suggested meeting him in Tumu,� he added. Mr Guguo noted that the party and its leadership in the constituency have excellent relationship with the DCE, and that it was regrettable for such group of youth to rise up with such an indiscipline behaviour, as though they have sworn an oath to cause the dismissal of the DCE through unjustifiable hooliganism. Meanwhile, the issue has become a source of worry to eminent traditional rulers in the district. Kuoro Limann Kuri Buktie, Paramount Chief of the Gwollu Traditional Area, said he was outside the district when he heard about the disturbances and quickly returned to the district to talk to them. �They told me that they have sent a copy of their petition to the President and I advised them to let sanity prevail, while they wait for the President�s response,� he explained. He said nobody owns Gwollu, and so has no right whatsoever to prevent anybody from either entering or leaving the district. Kuoro Buktie appealed to the NDC party hierarchy both in the constituency and the region, to resolve whatever differences prevailed, in order to bring about peace and tranquility in the district. The Paramount Chief said the police have the duty to enforce law and order in the district, and urged them not to allow anybody to take the law into his or her own hands, no matter the circumstance. Kuoro Bukari Abudu, Chief of Lipilime condemned the action of the youth, adding that making the district capital insecure for the DCE to stay and perform his duties was a heinous crime, and called for a swift action to address the issue. He pointed out that traditional authorities are not politicians, but where political issues become a source of threat to the peaceful co-existence of the people, then it becomes a matter of grave concern for all. Kuoro Barecheh Nlowie Baninye the second, Acting President of the Buwa Traditional Council and the Divisional Chief of Niator appealed to politicians to discard their individual interests, and allow the young district to grow and become a better place for the ordinary citizenry. He said the DCE has cordial relationship with the traditional authority in the district which is good for fostering development. Kuoro Issifu Kazia, the Chief of Silbelle said the district was too young to be divided along political lines or any other line and called on all especially political actors in the district and the region to commit the political will into resolving the issue for the DCE to return to office to perform his official duties. Meanwhile, the Police Command in the region is doing its best to control the security situation. The command has also provided the DCE personal security outside the district. GNA learnt that the Sissala West District Assembly under the DCE scored 97 percent in the recent Functional Organizational Assessment Tools (FOAT), the highest score in the whole region; raking in more money from the District Development Fund (DDF) to the Assembly. The GNA also gathered that the DCE supervised the elimination of many schools under trees, connection of electricity to all communities in the district and increase in the Assembly�s sponsorship package for students. Others are increase in the number of schools enrolled onto the school feeding programme, potable water coverage as well as exceeding revenue targets set by the Assembly, among other impressive performances. The GNA established that the Sissala West District Assembly came out clean without any audit queries when it appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament sitting in Tamale. At the time of filing this report, REGSEC was meeting stakeholders in the district, minus the DCE, in an attempt to restore peace and tranquility to the area.