Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, has advised Kokomba youth to eschew violence, and be law abiding citizens.

He asked them to unite and maintain peace for progress, saying “we need unity more as a people to live harmoniously with other people in order to develop our communities.”

Mr Nitiwul gave the advice at the annual anniversary of the Kokomba Youth Association at Saboba in the Northern Region on Saturday.

He condemned the recent violent disturbance between Dagombas and Kokombas at Agbogboloshie, Accra, which resulted in deaths and destruction of property, running into millions of Ghana cedis.

The minister refuted claims that the conflict was between Dagombas and Kokombas, emphasising that it was purely a criminal act, which the security personnel were dealing with.

“Dagombas and kokombas are not at war, we are one people and we need peace among ourselves to develop,” Mr Nitiwul stated.

He advised them not to take the laws into their hands, no matter the provocation, but should always seek legal process to resolve issues.

Mr Nitiwul said that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government believed in the rule of law, and would not relent on its efforts to deal ruthlessly with trouble rousers.

Northern Regional Minister, Mr Salifu Saeed, urged leaders of the Kokombas to promote peace and unity towards progress, stressing that government’s intention to bring development to the area could only materialise if there was peace.

He said government was committed to establishing factories to create jobs and reduce poverty among the people.