The Paramount Chief of Wechiau, Naa Imori Nandong Gomah II, and the Wechiau Traditional Council have called for an independent investigation after the arrest and death of youth leader Mr. Tijani Abu, popularly known as “Master One,” while in police custody.
In a statement issued Friday, the council said Mr. Abu was arrested at his workplace on Saturday, July 25, 2026, by officers from the Wa West District Police Command led by CID Bekaar John Vitus. He was later transferred to the Upper West Regional Police Command in Wa, where the council alleges he was brutalized and subsequently died.
The statement said the arrest stemmed from a “false accusation of murder” linked to a recent communal clash between the Kandeu and Toulu communities.
The traditional authorities accused security personnel of one-sided conduct during the conflict, alleging that more than 20 arrests of Wechiau and Kandeu youth have been sustained for months without evidence.
They also said the palace of the late Toulu Naa was burned and that police did not act on reports.
Tensions escalated again on July 28 when, the statement says, police under the supervision of the Upper West Regional Command fired live bullets at a Wechiau street demonstration over Mr. Abu’s death, injuring three people. The council condemned the use of force and called the death “unacceptable,” warning it has eroded public trust in security agencies.
The chiefs demanded immediate, independent inquiries into the circumstances of Mr. Abu’s arrest, transfer and death; the conduct of the officers involved (including CID Bekaar John Vitus and his team); and the shooting that injured demonstrators. They also called for the release of Fuseini Musah, who they say remains detained without evidence, and urged that anyone found culpable be prosecuted.
The statement urged residents to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands, while appealing to regional and national authorities — including the Upper West Regional Minister, the Member of Parliament for Wa West, the Director of CHRAJ (Upper West), the Inspector General of Police, the Minister for the Interior and President John Dramani Mahama — to intervene.
Meanwhile, the MP for the Wa West constituency Hon Peter Lanchene Toobu in a press conference yesterday July 30th called for calm amongst all feuding factions while calling on the police to be professional along their lines of duty.
