The Paramount Chief of Chereponi protesting against the addition of the area to the proposed North East Region, Naa Maliba Jamijah Kofi, has died.

The Chief passed away at the Tamale Teaching Hospital on December 1, after spending five days on admission. He was about 67 and ruled for nearly a decade.

Details of his death are yet to be made publicly almost a month after his demise but palace elders said he complained about excruciating bodily pains before being rushed to the Hospital.

Sadly, Chief Maliba Kofi’ first son was disqualified from inheriting the skin. Palace elders told StarrNews that the son early this year, caused the death of another person after a scuffle broke between them at a drinking spot.

Chief Maliba was famous in the area for many accomplishments and controversies, including quite recently, his strong objection to government backed efforts to add the Chereponi district to a proposed North East Region for the Mamprusis.

His understanding was that, adding his jurisdiction to a Mamprusi dominated region would mean a secession and shit of loyalty from the Yaa Naa at the Gbewaa Palace to the Nayiri in Gambaga, which he was not ready to accept.

In fact, when it appeared to him the government was brushing off his protest, he moved furiously put some of threats into action.

On the day the Electoral Commission arrived in the district to undertake voters’ registration exercise which was going on across the country, the chief halted it for several hours until armed security forces were deployed from a nearby command centre in Yendi to force start the exercise.

The Chief had a full throated support of the Gbewaa Palace, which also opposes the addition. An official request of the Nayiri and overlord of Mamprugu land, Naa Mahami Sheriga to the Gbewaa Palace was rejected after a high level meeting of the Dagbon Traditional Council chaired by the Kampakuya Naa Abdulai Yakubu Andani.

The Gbewaa Palace has written several petitions to the government clearly explaining their stance and vowing to protect the territorial integrity of Dagbon lands. But the Gbewaa Palace did not, however complain when the Kpandai district, a disputed Gonjaland territory, was maintained in the Dagomba dominated Northern Region.

Tensions have gone high in Chereponi and lingering division continue to escalate between Dagombas and Mamprusis, who are descendants of a common ancestral father. On many occasions, armed security have been sent there to avoid confrontation ahead of a limited ,controversial referendum, which is due to start in three days. – Eliasu Tanko