Bawku, Dec. 3, GNA - The Paramount Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, Naba Asigri Abugrago II, on Thursday condemned the murder of Mr Moses Alando Banaba, a pharmacist technician of the Nalerigu Hospital, which occurred on November 12.

He said in a statement that he was appealing to all sons and daughters of Kusaug to remain calm and allow the security agencies to deal with the problem.

Naba Asigri Abugrago urged the security agencies to be steadfast in handling the issue and noted that failure to deal with criminals who were engaged in the conflict in Bawku was worsening the crisis. He said the law had not yet dealt with people who committed crimes to serve as deterrent to others.

Te chief said on July 2, 2008, 11 defenceless women and children were massacred at Buabula, a suburb of Bawku.

A pregnant woman was burnt to death early this year when her room was set ablaze and in September two women who were travelling to Sankansi in Togo were attacked and one of them had her throat slit. The other one is recuperating in hospital.

Naba Abugrago appealed to the Northern and Upper East Regions Coordinating Councils and all stakeholders to guard against infiltration of small arms into their communities.

"Productivity has suffered and our development retarded and so I do not wish that anybody should go through it", he said.

He said the fact that some bandits used the chieftaincy issue in Bawku to embark upon their nefarious activities was not the best and said there was no chieftaincy conflict in Bawku.

Naba Abugrago said the chieftaincy issue in Bawku was legally contested and settled in the law court, stressing "The latest being the Supreme Court ruling in April, 2003 in my favour".

"I want to assure all peace loving and law abiding people living in my traditional area, irrespective of differences in ethnicity, to feel free and go about their normal duties. Kusasis in particular should not react to the murder of Alando and allow the security agencies to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion", he said.