Kusasi youth demand justice for slain chief, allege government complicity:

The Kusasi youth are calling on government, law enforcement, and traditional leaders to ensure justice is served following the murder of Naba Abdul Malik Azimbe, the chief of the Kusasi community in Kumasi. The chief was fatally shot on the evening of Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at his residence in Asawase, according to eyewitnesses who reported two individuals on a motorcycle, one armed with an AK47 rifle, opened fire.

Speaking on behalf of the youth, spokesperson John Ndaugoh linked the assassination to an ongoing conflict with the Mamprusi community in Bawku over chieftaincy, a dispute that has seen legal and traditional rulings consistently favor the Kusasi. Ndaugoh stated that Mamprusi factions, unwilling to accept these outcomes, have resorted to violence, extending the conflict beyond Bawku.

“This attack is not an isolated incident,” Ndaugoh asserted. “It bears the hallmark of the Bawku Mamprusis,” citing a series of similar killings and attacks on Kusasi individuals in various regions of Ghana, including Bolgatanga, Goaso, Accra, and Techiman. He alleged that in each case, clear warning signs, including threats and menacing messages, preceded the violence.

Ndaugoh further claimed that despite reporting threats on Chief Azimbe’s life to the police and some traditional leaders, no action was taken.

“In late Abdul Malik’s case, he adequately reported to the police and some revered chiefs under the Ashantehene, over the threat on his life by the Bawku Mamprusis. Sadly, all these fell on death ears. This is the results of the negligence of duty by duty bearers.”

They accused the government of complicity in the violence, stating that the Mamprusis have continued to commit crimes with impunity since defying the law and enskinning an “illegal chief” in Bawku. Ndaugoh also criticised what he perceived to be the government’s provision of escorts for Mamprusi individuals traveling in and out of Bawku, alleging this facilitates their planning and execution of attacks.

“Instead of upholding the rule of law, government is only bent on providing escorts to these bandits to move freely in and out of Bawku, where they gather to plan and then move to other parts of the country to attack and kill us,” Ndaugoh stated.

The Kusasi youth are demanding urgent action from the government to restore the rule of law, including the removal of the “illegal chief” and the cessation of escorts for Mamprusis in Bawku until they agree to renounce violence and submit to legal processes. Ndaugoh emphasized that the community would not tolerate the trampling of their fundamental human rights with the tacit support of the state.

Meanwhile, major concerns have been raised following another gun shooting that killed another man identified as a friend of the late chief.

“Now we are not safe at all. Just two days ago, it was the Kusasi chief, and today his friend. For how long are we going to watch on to see this happen? Leadership must take pragmatic measures to get these wicked people out of the system”.