Tension is rising in Sampa in the Bono Region, where a long-running chieftaincy dispute has turned deadly, leaving residents living in fear and uncertainty.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, traditional leaders from the Sampa Traditional Area appealed directly to President John Dramani Mahama to step in, warning that the situation is spiraling and could mirror the protracted conflict in Bawku.
According to the chiefs, the dispute over the Sampa paramount stool has lingered for nearly twenty years. The matter was referred to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, whose ruling granted the Afia Takyiwaa royal family the right to nominate a chief. Following that decision, Nana Samgba Gyaflaa II was nominated and later gazetted in accordance with Ghanaian law.
However, the gazetting of the chief did not resolve the dispute. Instead, it appears to have deepened divisions.
The chiefs say tensions escalated after members of the rival Sammor Duah faction allegedly issued threats before the gazette was published. Those threats, they claim, were later carried out. Lives were lost, properties set ablaze, and vehicles destroyed. Despite the scale of destruction, they say no arrests or prosecutions have followed.
In a strongly worded statement, the Nananom stressed that the crisis goes beyond numbers.
“We are not speaking of statistics. We are speaking of human beings. Fathers who will never return home. Mothers whose voices have been silenced. Children who now ask questions that no one can answer.”
The situation worsened recently when the Sammor Duah faction went ahead with funeral rites for a late Paramount Chief and Queen Mother, despite a court injunction secured by the Ghana Police Service to halt the event. The chiefs allege that the ceremony proceeded with the involvement of high-profile individuals, including the Dormaahene, an Appeals Court judge, the Sumahene, a member of the Council of State, the Bono Regional Minister, and the District Chief Executive.
They also questioned the role of the District Security Council, saying its handling of the situation has weakened public trust in local security institutions.
“When court orders are treated as mere options, what message is sent to the ordinary citizen?” the statement asked.
Beyond the violence, the chiefs raised concerns about ongoing land sales in Sampa, which they say are being carried out in defiance of a court order. They described the land as central to the identity and future of the people.
The Nananom noted that Nana Samgba Gyaflaa II, who also serves as an Appeals Court judge, has exercised restraint throughout the dispute, choosing legal and mediation channels even after incidents of violence. But they warned that patience is wearing thin in the absence of decisive state action.
Referencing President Mahama’s earlier position on the Bawku conflict, where he indicated that government engages only gazetted chiefs, the Sampa leaders are urging him to apply the same standard in their case.
“The law must not bend depending on geography or influence,” they said.
They are calling on government to enforce court rulings, ensure the safety of the gazetted chief, investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence, and halt all unauthorized land transactions.
Sampa, they emphasized, is not just any town. It is a major cashew-producing area and a key border community that supports trade between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. Any instability there, they warned, could have wider economic and security implications.
“Prevention is always less costly than repair,” the statement concluded. “Too many tears have already been shed. Too many homes have already burned.”
The statement was jointly signed by Nana Kwadwo Magsah, Kokoahene and Adontehene of the Sampa Traditional Council, and Nana Abu Srigbo, Abusuapanin of the Afia Takyiwaa Royal Family.
