The Abudu Royal family has officially vacated the Old Gbewaa palace and handed over the facility to the Yendi Municipal Security Council.

The move is in respect of an agreement between the Royal family and the government.

The family now occupies the residence of MbaDugu which was temporarily given to Bolin Lana to house him till a new overload of Dagbon is installed. Speaking to Citi News, President of Abudu Youth, Alhaji Mugisu Sibaway said the keys to the palace had been handed over to some officials from REGSEC.

“We handed the keys to the REGSEC members around so we have done our part. Although we were supposed to hand over the keys yesterday [Saturday], we got the keys late in the evening so we could not move, but we have finally handed over.”

Abudus occupy Gbewaa Palace

The old Gbewaa palace was handed over to the Abudu royal family temporarily to pave way for the final funeral rites of the late overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV.

The family occupied the palace for a fortnight as part of the final road-mad adopted by the Committee of Eminent Kings that mediated the long chieftaincy dispute between the Abudus and Andanis in Dagbon.

It was resolved that the funerals of the two late overlords of Dagbon Yaa Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II should be performed in the old Gbewaa Palace in Yendi.

There was a signing of an undertaking between the family and the Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) on how the newly constructed palace will be operationalized during the period.

Performing the official handing over on behalf of government, the Northern Regional Minister Hon. Salifu Sa-eed said the handing over was in line with the committee’s resolutions. He thanked the family for accepting to sign the undertaken and promised them of maximum security.

“This palace has been under the care of the national security. But today, because of the road-map, we are handing over the place temporarily just as the committee recommended. To allow the Abudu family perform the funeral of the late Yaa-Naa,” he said at the time.

Background

The Dagbon chieftaincy impasse between the Abudu and Andani royals gained notoriety after the killing of the late Dagbon overlord, Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II on March 27, 2002.

But after promises by successive governments to restore peace in the area and ensure a peaceful enskinment of a new overlord, the age old crisis at Dagbon between the Andanis and Abudus has finally been resolved.

This was after an executive order by President Akufo-Addo through the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Committee of Eminent Chiefs who led the mediation process.

According to the President, bringing finality to the crisis was a priority; hence government equipped the committee with all the resources it needed to ensure peace in Dagbon.

After series of back and forth, boycott, resistance, and demonstration by the two factions, the Asantehene-led Mediation Committee handling the stalemate, today, finalized its road-map to the restoration of peace in Dagbon on November 16.