Editorial: Attack On Otumfuo’s Convoy – We Applaud Police Pre-Emptive Response

The Ghana Police Service issued a statement yesterday that it was investigating the alleged attack on the convoy of Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, at Techiman in the Bono East Region. According to the statement the Asantehene was returning from a funeral at Nkoranza in the same region, when some youth pelted one of the buses in the convoy with stones. The incident reportedly happened on Monday, this week.

The statement further stated that the police were in touch with the Manhyia Palace and stakeholders in Techiman, as part of their investigations. The police statement did not, however, state whether any arrest has been made or not. The law enforcement agency nevertheless called for calm, as it delves into the case.

First of all, The Chronicle thanks the Police Administration for the prompt statement they issued, which has obviously helped to calm nerves and averted any reprisal attacks, either in Kumasi or Techiman. Since no arrest has been made, no one can tell the motive behind the attack. We are, however, cautioning the youth to be careful when it comes to the issue of tribe and chieftaincy.

Many African countries have been plunged into civil war as a result of tribal and chieftaincy issues. Fortunate for Ghana, she has so far managed to successfully navigate her way through this dangerous terrain. This does not, however, mean that we are completely immune from chieftaincy conflicts, if we do not put our house in order.

Though we have one state with a centralised government, the chiefs in the various regions still wield substantial powers because they have many followers.  And since we are intrinsically linked to our various tribes, attack on a chief is sometimes considered as an attack on the whole ethnic group.

Yes, we concede that no stone was thrown at the car Otumfuo Osei Tutu was sitting in, at least based on the statement that has been issued by the police, but since a vehicle in the convoy was attacked, it is logical for one to conclude that Asantehene has been attacked. This is a dangerous trajectory we should never dare to tread. The youth must, therefore, be careful with the way they behave in the country.

Because we have never gone to war, we don’t cherish the peace we are enjoying in this country. As we speak, the people of Palestine have been surrounded amid heavy bombardments, but they cannot escape. What to eat has even become a problem, as several reports indicate that some of them are starving to death.

If you go to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, the people do not simply have peace because of internecine war going on in these countries. In DR Congo in particular, people are being slaughtered like animals in the name of war. Is this what the miscreants in the case we are referencing are calling for in Ghana?

As we earlier indicated, the chiefs are the very embodiment of the ethnic groups they represent, so any attack on them is an attack on the whole group they represent. We only hope that what happened at Techiman was a pure criminal conduct exhibited by the youth and has no link to chieftaincy issues. But if the latter is the case, then we are appealing to chiefs in Techiman to rein in their people to avoid any conflict in the country.

Since the Bawku issue has already overburdened the government, the country cannot afford another chieftaincy conflict. This is the reason why The Chronicle is appealing to Asantehene and his massive followers to restrain themselves and allow the police to get the bottom of the matter. Ghana is the only country we have and its security must be of utmost importance to everyone, including the youth who reportedly attacked the convoy.

 

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