Sampa is Showing Early Signs of Another Bawku Conflict- Mahama Warned
President John Dramani Mahama has been warned about an impending protracted chieftaincy conflict in Sampa in the Jaman South District of the Bono Region similar to the Bawku Conflict.
Traditional leaders in the town are calling for the urgent intervention of the head of state for the needed recognition for Nana Samgba Gyaflaa II, who swore allegiance to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, in accordance with customs and subsequently gazetted in accordance with the law.
At a presser organised on March 12, 2026, they stated that the constitutionally and traditionally recognised leader has consistently opted for restraint in pursuit of legal remedies as an Appeal Court Judge.
“He has relied on mediation. He has exercised patience even after blood was shed. But restraint cannot substitute for state protection. Patience cannot replace justice,” it emphasised.
It stated, “When a gazette is disregarded, when court injunctions are ignored, and when violence is not decisively addressed, ordinary people begin to lose faith in the very institutions meant to safeguard them. That loss of faith is dangerous. It breeds desperation.”
Referencing a recent statement of the President on the state recognition of gazetted chiefs in the case of the Bawku dispute, they demanded that the same principle be applied in Sampa.
“The law must not bend depending on geography or influence. It must stand firm everywhere. We must speak with painful honesty: Sampa is showing the early signs of becoming another Bawku.
“Ghana has witnessed the high cost of prolonged conflict: lives lost, communities divided, and national resources drained through constant security deployments. We cannot afford another bleeding wound in our nation…History will remember whether early warnings were heeded.”
Meanwhile, they expressed a loss of confidence in the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and the District Security Council (DISEC).
“We do not seek to inflame tensions. We seek to prevent further tragedy. We do not seek confrontation. We seek protection. We do not seek special treatment. We seek equal application of the law. We must state candidly that confidence in REGSEC and DISEC has eroded. Their conduct has not reassured the community of impartiality. When institutions appear compromised, citizens feel exposed.
It comes as one Sammor Duah has been carrying himself out as Sampamanhene with the support of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs President and other traditional authorities within the region.
Recently, the said person, who has been exposed as a non-royal, defied traditions and conducted the funeral rites for the late Paramount Chief and Queen Mother of Sampa despite a court injunction.
Story by Hajara Fuseini
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