By: Ashiadey Dotse
The Minister of Interior, Mubarak Muntaka has Wednesday December 24, 2025, has confirmed in a press statement that Personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have removed Alhaji Seidu Abagre, the rival Mamprusi chief, from Bawku Township in the Upper East Region.
The action follows recommendations made by the mediation committee led by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as part of efforts to resolve the long-standing Bawku chieftaincy conflict.
According to the ministry, soldiers escorted Alhaji Seidu Abagre out of Bawku in line with the Otumfuo mediation report. The statement added that he is safe and currently in the care of the security agencies.
“This afternoon, personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces removed Alhaji Seidu Abagre from Bawku, pursuant to the recommendations of the Otumfuo Asantehene mediation report regarding the Bawku affair,” the statement said.
After his removal, there were unconfirmed reports of sporadic gunshots in parts of the town, with possible casualties. However, the Interior Ministry has not officially commented on those reports.
The Otumfuo mediation committee had recommended that Alhaji Seidu Abagre, who was recently installed by the Mamprusi side as a rival chief, should be recalled to Nalerigu by the Overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri.
The committee proposed that he should be reassigned to perform another traditional role at the Nayiri’s palace instead of remaining in Bawku as a chief.
Alternatively, the report stated that if he chooses to stay in Bawku, he must do so strictly as a private citizen and not present himself as the Bawku Naba.
Presenting the mediation report, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II stressed that the legal position on the Bawku chieftaincy matter has already been settled. He noted that the Supreme Court has affirmed Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the lawful Bawku Naba.
The mediation recommendations were formally presented to President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House on December 16.
The government says it remains committed to restoring peace and stability in Bawku through dialogue, respect for the law, and the implementation of the mediation outcomes.
