The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has declared Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the lawful Bawku Naaba and paramount chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, in a mediation report presented to President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
The report, which comes on the back of months of mediation efforts initiated by President Mahama earlier in 2025, addresses the protracted Bawku chieftaincy dispute, which has fueled intermittent violence in the Upper East Region for decades.
In his presentation at the Jubilee House in Accra, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II emphasized that the current legal framework, including a Supreme Court declaration, unequivocally recognizes Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the rightful chief.
“The law as it stands now, makes Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II the lawful Chief of Bawku,” the Asantehene stated, adding that it would be “untenable for anyone to hold that Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is not Bawku Naaba.”
Otumfuo further noted the historical tradition dating back to around 1931, which establishes the Bawku Naaba as the head of the entire Kusaasi area.
“On the question of Bawku town, I have taken the position that the established tradition since 1931 thereabout is that the person who is Bawku Naaba heads the entire Kusaasi area. By law and the declaration of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the Bawku Naaba and there cannot be any rival residing in Bawku claiming otherwise,” he said.
The mediation report directly challenges the purported enskinment of Mr Seidu Abagre as Bawku Naaba by the Nayiri, the overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional Area.
“I have been candid with my brother the Nayiri that the purported enskinment of Mr Seidu Abagre as Bawku Naaba cannot stand,” Otumfuo stated.
He revealed that, out of respect for the Nayiri, he had advised successive governments against arresting Mr Abagre since the mediation process began.
“I have from the inception restrained both governments from effecting the arrest of Mr Seidu Abagari out of respect for my brother the Nayiri,” the Asantehene explained.
For a final resolution, Otumfuo recommended that the Nayiri recall Mr Abagre to Nalerigu, the seat of the Mamprugu Traditional Council, where he could be reassigned to another traditional role with state assistance.
“The final resolution of the Bawku matters requires that Mr Seidu Abagre be recalled to Nalerugu by the Nayiri to be reassigned to play another traditional role at the Palace of the Nayiri assisted by the State,” he proposed.
Alternatively, Mr Abagre could remain in Bawku as an ordinary citizen, but without claiming the title of Bawku Naaba.
“Mr Seidu Abagre may alternatively choose to stay in Bawku as an ordinary citizen of the community but not to pose as the Bawku Naaba,” Otumfuo added.
The Asantehene urged the Nayiri to accept the existing laws affirming Zugraan Naba’s position.
“I recommend that my brother the Nayiri accepts the laws as presently constituting Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as Chief of Bawku and Head Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area,” he said.
The presentation comes amid heightened security in the region, following the government’s renewal of a curfew in Bawku Municipality and its environs on December 15, 2025, from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am, along with a ban on arms possession.
The Bawku chieftaincy conflict, rooted in disputes over succession and ethnic lines between the Kusasi and Mamprusi groups, has claimed numerous lives over the years and disrupted socio-economic activities.
President Mahama, upon receiving the report, commended Otumfuo for his impartial mediation and assured that the government would study the recommendations to foster lasting peace.