Our lead story yesterday was about an order by the government to arrest all persons involved in the enskinment of a new Naba (chief) for Bawku in the North East Region.
It is public knowledge that Bawku is a conflict hotspot in the country, probably the one causing the highest rate of concern for the whole nation.
We are saying this because even though there are a number of chieftaincy disputes in various parts of the country, parties involved in the Bawku one have carved a notorious name for the otherwise beautiful settlement.
Bawku is a place where many people, both natives and others, would like to live permanently but for the incessant violence, shootings, killings and destruction of property and livelihoods.
One wonders why parties in the chieftaincy dispute do not want to give peace a chance in the area.
It is obvious these feuding parties are seeking interests that are not for the public good but for their own parochial interest.
We wish to reiterate our stance that the Bawku dispute can easily be resolved if the parties involved in it would be honest about its history.
Both the Kusasis and the Mamprusis know their histories, so it should be easy to trace such histories and put things right.
It does not matter how old such histories, they must be employed now for the resolution of the dispute.
It is unfortunate to state that in the times of old even traditional leaders who did not have formal education were able to stabilise their societies, but today highly-educated persons, including professors, other professionals and politicians, as well as industrialists, fan such disputes.
So long as these people ignore the safety of innocent people and do what they think would benefit them, the State must deploy all its legal arsenal to descend on them and take them to the cleaners.
We, therefore, think that the government should not rest over its order for the arrest and prosecution of all the persons involved in the enskinment of a new Naba for Bawku, knowing very well that Bawku already has a recognised overlord in the person of Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II.
These are nation wreckers who must not be allowed space to disturb the peace of others and also burden the State with avoidable expenses on insecurity created by their nefarious activities.
This is the time to tell these people that they have been tolerated for too long and that they have over-stayed their welcome.
We are appealing to the security services to team up and swiftly arrest those people who keep ignoring good counsel and rather choose to pursue their personal interest even if it would compromise national peace and security.
These are people who have lost their sense of fellow-feeling and shame and must not be accorded the slightest regard.
Their human rights must be respected though, but must not be spared when found guilty of the crime they are alleged to have committed.
Let us all avoid baseless defence in this matter and rather help to resolve the Bawku chieftaincy conflict once and for all.
