Old Tafo: Muslim leader condemns violence

The Chief of the Zongo Community of Kumasi Old Tafo, Alhaji Seidu Chibsah has condemned clashes between some Muslim youth and supporters of traditional leaders in the area on Wednesday.

Alhaji Chibsah said on Adom FM’s Morning Show ‘Dwaso Nsem’ that the action of the youth groups was unacceptable and unjustifiable.

Clashes between the youth and some supporters of traditional leaders of the area over a piece of land caused an imposition of a 6:00pm to 6:00am curfew.

The Muslim group allegedly went on rampage after the traditional council questioned their decision to fence a piece of land.

They pulled down a mosque while trying to fence the piece of land near the Old Tafo cemetery and vandalized two church buildings. Vehicles and other properties were also destroyed.

But Alhaji Chibsah who was in Accra during the incident, believes there are different interest groups in the Muslim group.

He said it beats his imagination that a Muslim group would pull down a Mosque.
“There are a number of groups fighting for their own interest and not for the parcel of land,” he said.

He explained that the disputed land was given to the Zongo leader in the 1940s by the then Traditional Council of Old Tafo.

He indicated that pillars had been erected to fence the piece of land. But the youth recently said they wanted to fence the land with a wall.

This, according to him began on Saturday, February 6 but they built the wall beyond the area given them. They attacked the Old Tafo Chief, when he questioned them over the extension and insisted that they had documents that showed they could extend the land.

Alhaji Chibsah said the leaders of the Muslim group refused to show up when he invited them to resolve the issue.

The disagreement was renewed on Wednesday when another group tried to prevent the Muslim youth from extending the wall, he revealed.

He urged the youth of the area to remain calm and promised to lead the Muslim youth to apologise to Old Tafo Traditional Council for the attack on the Chief.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Muslim youth group says it will continue to build a fence wall around the disputed land.

In an interview on ‘Dwaso Nsem’, the spokesperson for the youth Rabiu Mohammed said, “We have all the necessary documentation to build the fence so we will continue to build it. For now, one of our people has died and we want to focus on putting him to rest and go back to site to continue,” he stated.