Your comments exposes your hidden bias &, dislike- Andani youth tells Supreme Court judge designate

A youth wing of the family of the late Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II has described as derogatory comments made by a Supreme Court designate-judge; Justice Yaw Apau over the murder of the King of the Dagbon traditional area.

In a statement signed by the youth Secretary Mr Baba Issifu, the youth  doubted the capabilities and professionalism of Justice Apau as it describes his comments as mockery of the assassination of the late King of Dagbon.

A nominee of the President John Dramani Mahama to the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Yaw Appau, has said that as far he is concerned the Ya Na murder trial is a closed case.

He said unless fresh evidence was adduced, the chapter on the case was closed.

He said as a trial judge in the matter, he did not think that enough evidence was provided linking the accused persons to the murder.

Mr Justice Apau stated this when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament.

His vetting took more than five hours.

According to Mr Justice Apau, what led to the murder of the Ya Na was a three-day communal war and added that it was during the euphoria that prevailed that members of the victorious faction beheaded the Dagbon overlord.

He said it was difficult to successfully try people for murder, if the unlawful premeditated killing occurred in a war situation.

Mr Justice Apau said one person, who clearly was not even a the scene of the dastardly acts that occurred, was brought before court and charged with the murder.

Another, he said, was accused of conspiracy when the persons he conspired with could neither be named nor identified.

Under the circumstances, he said, they had to be discharged.

The Andani youth describes comments made by Justice Apau as derogatory and that it is  an exposé of his hidden biases, dislike for the Andani Royal family and for the truth to be told about the murder of the Yaa-Naa who was murdered alongside thirty of his royal courtiers in broad day light.

The family youth wing said as part of the failure of the nation to render natural justice recounted how the revered head of the Yaa-Naa was returned to the murder scene in front of the Gbewaa palace after his assassination where there was twenty-four hour national security surveillance. 

The youth recollects how jubilant crowds paraded the mutilated body parts of the late Yaa-Naa on the streets of Yendi.

The statement said the Andani family as a peace loving citizenry, but lamented over the manner in which the nation has let them down on the investigations and prosecution of criminals who inflicted pain on innocent citizens.

These are not fairy tales being told in the 21st century. The facts that the mutilated body parts of the Ya-Naa were parade on the streets of Yendi by a jubilant crowd is also not a fictitious ply or movie if the powers that be did not provides court with the evidence, so be it.

The youth said Justice Yaw Apau should have not use what the Andani Royal family termed a callous and calculated attempt to cover a high profile murder to shield the perpetrators as a mere story being told by the Andani family perhaps out of mischief.  

’’ As a family, we are peace loving citizens but the nation has let us down on a number of occasions in investigating and prosecuting criminals who breached the law and inflicted pain on innocent citizens’’, the statement emphasized.

It said if the Kufour government fully and effectively covered up the brutal murder of the overlord of Dagbon, and the Mahama led administration intends to go back on its promise to prosecute those behind the crime has become a mere political promise, at least it is decent that Justice Apau remains silent on the issue and allow the Anadani royal family space to continue brooding over the gargantuan injustice in the history of Dagbon.